Proposed amendment to SOP No 259
Hon Maggie Barry, in Committee, to move the following amendment:
New clause 18C
After clause 18B (page 17), insert:
18C Support person to assist vulnerable elderly person
(1)
This section applies where a person who is eligible for assisted dying is aged 65 years or over.
(2)
A person who is described in subsection (1) is a vulnerable elderly person for the purposes of this section.
(3)
In addition to other requirements of this Part, a vulnerable elderly person must be offered the assistance of an independent support person, who—
(a)
possesses in-depth knowledge of the cultures and practices within the community the vulnerable elderly person is from; and
(b)
possesses an understanding of how older people from that particular community are regarded and treated in that community and within family groups; and
(c)
is able to translate for the vulnerable elderly person in the language they are most comfortable with.
(4)
The offer referred to in subsection (3) must—
(b)
be provided by the attending medical practitioner as soon as practicable in the circumstances after a request has been made under section 8; and
(c)
be provided free of charge to the vulnerable elderly person, funded by the Ministry of Health.