Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you for your question. Of course, given my approach to end-of-life care, including care during the final phase of Alzheimer's disease, and as the spokesperson for the Association québécoise pour le droit de mourir dans la dignité, the people I meet are often those who have already given the matter some thought, who want to die in dignity and who hope that their expectations will be met.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  That's an excellent question and I'm glad you asked me. There are indeed some professionals who often speak about contented dementia. To be quite honest, I don't believe in it. Contented dementia amounts to symptoms of a disease being expressed. It's not that the person is content, but rather that brain plaques have disrupted their neurotransmitters, causing what appears to be expressions of joy.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Absolutely. The decision about the stage of the symptoms at which action is required might differ from one person to another, and that's fine.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  The answer to all these questions is yes. In my case, it will be when my autonomy for my basic needs will have been significantly altered. It will be when I can no longer eat or go to the bathroom on my own, or be unable to wash myself. For me, it's autonomy. I may be too proud, but I don't want to share those things, particularly when I know that I have a degenerative disease that's not going to go away.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  My children are all in agreement. They told me that if they were to experience the same thing, they would reach the same decision.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  That's very interesting. I won't hide from you the fact that it's an area I know well. I worked in the health field and cared for my father throughout his illness. So I'm familiar with the subject. That's not necessarily the case for most people and it can be complex. In the health system, some people, like social workers, support people as they deal with a number of procedures.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you, Mr. Thériault. I am happy to hear that. You're right when you say that it has become a family process. From the moment I mentioned the advance request option to my children, they felt that it was very sensible. It's clear to them that having poor quality of life and being bedridden for three, four, five or even 10 years, makes no sense.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you. You have said a lot of interesting things and I feel that they are a little mixed up in my mind. You're right in saying that I know the disease from the inside. To be honest, I wouldn't want anyone to have to care for a young person with Alzheimer's disease. Older people often die before getting to the end of the disease, the stage at which the symptoms are horrendous.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  It's because I can't make an advance request for medical assistance in dying. That's the key.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  It would certainly allow me to live with my disease for a longer period. Right now, however, advance requests for MAID are not available. So there definitely would come a time when I wouldn't want to take the risk that things worsen too much and that I would want to move quickly before I lose my ability to make informed decisions.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  No, the members of my family are all in full agreement.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  That's a very good question. At 43 years old, I've been a grandmother for a year already. Life has been good in some ways. I'm spoiled because I already have my first grandson and I'm happy that he's there. I'm facing a difficult situation, because I have to decide up to what point I want to experience the good times, when I know that there is a risk of some truly bad times.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Thank you for that question. It's an interesting one. Advance requests for medical assistance in dying are interesting precisely because one can still think and make decisions. At the moment, although I have Alzheimer's disease at a moderate stage, I can still speak to you relatively well.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  So you know what I'm talking about.