Background and context
Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is an emerging practice area for speech pathologists in Australia, as legislation is progressively implemented across the States. Whilst some States have already implemented VAD (Victoria, WA and Tasmania), other States are preparing for implementation in 2023. It is timely to respond to this new area by reflecting on learnings to date and consider the future needs of the profession.
VAD is a complex area with ethical and legal considerations for speech pathologists.
What role does the speech pathologist play in the VAD process? Do I have to be involved? What considerations should there be in terms of scope of practice, skills and supervision needs?
Learning outcomes
Participants will
Understand respective State legislation, VAD processes, their role and scope of practice
Reflect on ethical and legal considerations discussing their own and others’ experiences
Discuss potential solutions for complex case study presentations, and consider frameworks for practice in this area
Assumed knowledge or experience
Little or no prior knowledge.
Outline of activities
Presentation of legislation differences and their implications for clinical practice
Panel Discussion reflecting on legal and ethical considerations and learnings to date
Participant Case Study table discussion to share learnings with peers, consider relevant policies and procedures, inform individual action plans and future SPA resources
Implications for practice
Participants will have an enhanced understanding of issues and potential solutions when working in this emerging context and will help inform future resource needs of the profession.
Keywords -
Voluntary Assisted Dying, Speech pathology role
Submission Statement:
This workshop calls for speech pathologists to boldly respond to the emerging practice context of VAD. It will challenge speech pathologists to reflect on their perspectives in participating in responding to their clients’ need for support with communication accessibility of the VAD process, whilst respecting the individual’s choices around VAD