April 20, 2020

Social distancing and wearing a mask are getting to be a habit. We tend to think that these are things we are doing to protect others from sickness and death – without squarely facing the fact that we, ourselves, really could die. And soon – if we get the coronavirus. Have you made plans for that contingency?

League members support Medical Aid in Dying, but we don’t yet have it in NYS. However, many of us have completed health care proxies and advanced directives that will help us achieve the kind of death we desire. But will your survivors be able to find them when the time comes? Will they know where your will is, and how to access your financial accounts? As the old adage goes, “Don’t put off till tomorrow, what you can do today.”

There are some special things to think about with the coronavirus. What kind of care do you want? In a hospital or at home? The League’s lobbying partner for medical aid in dying, Compassion and Choices, has put together a tool kit specific to choices with respect to coronavirus care. Find it at
https://compassionandchoices.org/resource/covid-19-understanding-your-options/ and while you are at it poke around on that website.

Barb Thomas