Her death has led to public discussion about decisions and issues that arise at death, which University of Dayton professor Jennifer Davis-Berman said is an important discussion to have.
“Talking about death is such a taboo subject,” said Davis-Berman, who has taught a “Death, Dying and Suicide” class at UD for more than a decade. “I’ve worked hard to lift the veil of secrecy around the topic and get students to talk about it and learn about it in a healthier way, and when they are not facing the imminent death of themselves or a family member.”
Students who take the class study issues surrounding death and also have an opportunity to partner with the Crossroads Hospice office in Dayton and visit the dying.
Participants in the hospice partnership can get to know a hospice patient. After undergoing hospice volunteer training, students interview the patients about their lives, collecting stories and family pictures, and eventually present the family of the patient with a hardbound book honoring the patient’s life.
“Students who go through the experience of visiting someone at the end of life have returned with more respect for the dying, as well as with the desire to initiate the conversation with their own families,” Davis-Berman said.
Davis-Berman declined to comment about Maynard’s public decision, but said that she had seen positive experiences occur at the end of life.
“Hospice is really good about opening the conversation about the end of life. They can promote a great deal of meaning at the end of someone’s life, helping them to resolve differences and say goodbye to people,” she said.
University of Dayton senior Sarah Hite took the course, and wrote a research paper on physician-assisted suicide. She supports Maynard’s decision, but said concerns about assisted suicide remain.
“The negative side is that it could turn into a slippery slope. It’s very hard when you only have six months to live. We don’t want to be at the point where we are prescribing this medication because someone is depressed,” she said. “The positive side is that it provides patient control, peace of mind, and autonomy in the patient’s own being. And they don’t have to suffer.”
Peggy Richardson, the director of Crossroads Hospice in Dayton, said the partnership with students has benefited not only students and hospice patients, but the families of patients, as well.
She said the public story of Maynard’s decision has resulted in more discussion about end-of-life decisions, but that she has never had a hospice patient ask about ending their life.
“We can’t be part of that, obviously,” she said. “We would respond by trying to find out why they might be expressing that desire, and if there are any physical, spiritual, or emotional issues we can help address for them.”
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