Introduction

The Peaceful Pill Handbook Essentials provides and Introduction to the topic of practical, DIY (self-help) strategies for elderly and seriously ill adults.

The Essentials edition is continually updated. The aim is to empower our readers to develop an end of life Exit Plan, as an insurance policy for the future.

Most people hope they will never need such a plan. Everyone can find comfort from knowing that they have the means of a peaceful and reliable DIY death, should the need ever arise.

Book Audience

This book has two principal audiences.

Firstly, it is written for people who are seriously ill and need urgently to know their end of life options.

Families and friends can also find this information invaluable in terms of assisting with end of life planning.

Having choice to die at home is important, even when you live in a country with right to die laws.

Because the vast majority of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) / medical aid in dying (MAiD) are based on degree of sickness (one generally needs to be terminally ill with < 6 months to live), many people find that they do not qualify.

This is especially the case if cognitive impairment is present (eg. dementia).

The Peaceful Pill Handbook Essentials is designed to help all people in their time of need.

Secondly, some people do not want to involve doctors in their death.

Even if they are eligible to use the law, some do not want to put themselves through what can sometimes be exhaustive bureaucracy in order to gain approval.

Captain Rob Cane is a good example of this.

Rob would have qualified for help to die in his home in Australia. But he didn’t want to spend his final three months going from doctor to doctor collecting the necessary paperwork.

Instead he took the ‘shortcut’ as he called and boarded a plane for Switzerland.

More generally, the book is intended for anyone who simply wants to know how to die peacefully and reliably and at a time of their choosing.

Most people who join Exit and come to a meeting want to know about their end of life options.

Exit members are mostly not sick. But they are all motivated, independent people who are used to looking after themselves.