Exploring VSED Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking – September 11

Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking (VSED): A Little Known End of Life Option

As modern technology prolongs our lives, a life well-lived can often end with a long and painful struggle.  Increasingly there are choices available about end-of-life options that afford greater personal control over the time and manner of death.  A “good death” is more likely when medical practitioners and those supporting the dying person are more informed about these options.

Join Elliott and Susan Schaffer for a discussion of the medical, ethical and legal issues involving VSED, Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking, a little known end of life option.  They will share with us the end of life story of Susan’s mother, Beatrice Belopolsky, a resident of a retirement community in New Jersey.

Elliott Schaffer, MD, is a retired geriatrician who was formerly the Medical Director at Martins Run Life Care Community in Media, Pa.  Susan Schaffer, JD, is a retired attorney who was formerly Senior Counsel at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.