Hina-te-Ao Phase 3
Recommendations
Position the Body After the AD Procedure
Charlie-Chan and Bella (funeral directors) noted the importance of honouring the dignity and mana of the māuiui person after they have died. Charlie-Chan recommends the tūpāpaku is laid flat after someone has died. This will make it easier for funeral directors to transfer the tūpāpaku onto the gurney; it will be much easier for whānau to watch the transfer.
Charlie-Chan mentioned that there was no additional advice he would give to prepare whānau when working with funeral directors after an assisted death. He reported the role of the funeral director remains the same as it is with other deaths:
I think that that in my cases, when I’ve met with people, I haven’t, I’ve steered away from making any sort of suggestion or ah, comment about it [laying the body flat after an assisted death] but rather have in mind that it’s their choice and they seem quite happy about it. And [we can] stick to our, our job of what you want done afterwards. Yeah. (Charlie-Chan, Funeral director)
Death Certificate Records ‘Assisted Dying’
Support workers and bereaved whānau would like to see ‘Assisted Dying’ removed on the death certificate as a cause of death as the cause of death was a terminal illness.