Glossary
Advance directive – Directions a competent person writes down about their wishes for their personal care in case a time comes when they can no longer make those decisions. Advance directives can say who can make the decisions, what decisions they can make, and how they should make the decisions. An example is a document woman signs that says that, should she fall into a persistent vegetative state and then get pneumonia, she does not wish to receive antibiotics. Or, as another example, a document man signs that states that, when he is incompetent, he wishes his wife to make all health care decisions for him. There are two kinds of advance directives: instruction directives and proxy directives. They have different names in different parts of Canada (e.g., “personal directive” in Nova Scotia; “mandate” in Quebec; and “health care directive” in Manitoba).
Common law – Law developed over the years by judges making decisions in court. Other judges rely upon these decisions in deciding later cases. Common law is different from laws passed by governments, called acts and regulations.
Competent – Able to understand and appreciate the information needed to make a decision as well as the possible results of the decision.
CPR — “Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.” This emergency procedure combines chest compressions with artificial ventilation (breathing) to keep blood pumping for a person who has had a heart attack. This prevents damage to vital organs, especially the brain.
Guardian – A person who has the right and duty to protect the person, property, or rights of someone who cannot manage their own affairs.
Incompetent – Unable to understand and appreciate the information needed to make a decision as well as the possible results of the decision.
Informed consent – The consent of a patient or a patient’s substitute decision maker after being fully informed by the health care provider of
- the treatment options, known effects, risks, discomforts, and side-effects of the options;
- success and failure rates of different options; and
- the possible results if the patient is not treated.
Injunction – A court order to stop someone from doing something. An injunction is a preventive measure; it guards against future injuries rather than providing a remedy for past injuries.
Instruction directive – An advance directive that states what decisions will be made for an incompetent person.
Legislation – Law made by elected members of government, also called “statutes” or “acts.”
Mature minor – A person who is not an adult under the law (usually under 18 or 19 years old) who is competent and independent enough to make important decisions for themselves.
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) – When a doctor or nurse practitioner helps a person to die at the person’s request. The doctor or nurse practitioner might give the patient an injection that causes them to die or a prescription so they may take a drug themselves when they are ready to die.
Official guardian – A government office that may act as guardian of an adult who cannot manage their own affairs. Also called “public trustee” in some provinces or territories or “curator” in Québec.
Palliative care – Care aimed at reducing suffering—physical, emotional, psychosocial, or spiritual—rather than curing illness. It is concerned with the comfort of the patient.
Palliative sedation – The practice of giving deep and continuous sedation, either on its own or in addition to withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration.
Personal care – Personal care is care of the person, such as helping them to dress and to take care of their hygiene, and ensuring they are well-fed. For the purposes of discussing VSPeC (see below), it also includes treatments to prevent or cure illness as well as palliative health care. Some examples are artificial and oral hydration and nutrition, regular changing of positions for someone with paralysis, and giving antibiotics to treat infection.
Proxy – A person named to make health care decisions for someone else. One kind of substitute decision maker.
Proxy directive – An advance directive that names who can make decisions for an incompetent person.
Public trustee – A government office that may act as guardian of an adult who cannot manage their own affairs. Also called “official guardian” in some provinces or territories or “curator” in Québec.
Substitute decision maker – A person named to make health care decisions for someone else. A substitute decision maker can be appointed by law or by an advance directive.
Statute – Law made by elected members of government, also called “legislation” or “Act.”
Unilateral – Means “involving only one group or person.” On this website, we use it to mean “without involving the patient or patient’s substitute decision maker in a decision.” We include in that definition decisions a health care provider might make either without the knowledge of or against the wishes of a patient or substitute decision maker.
Voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) — When a competent person stops eating and drinking on their own because they want to hasten death.
Voluntary stopping of personal care (VSPeC) – When a competent person refuses personal care because they want to hasten death.
Withholding of potentially life-sustaining treatment – Not starting treatment that could keep a patient alive.
Withdrawal of potentially life-sustaining treatment – Stopping treatment that could keep a patient alive.
