MAiD Information

Medical Aid in Dying is an end-of-life care option available under Illinois law that allows a qualified patient to obtain a prescription for medication that the patient may choose to self-administer to bring about death.

Illinois’ End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act, also known as Deb’s Law, takes effect September 12, 2026.

Under the law, a qualified patient must be an adult Illinois resident with the mental capacity to make medical decisions and who has met the law’s requirements. The patient must have an incurable and irreversible terminal disease that, within reasonable medical judgment, is expected to result in death within six months as certified by two physicians.

A person does not qualify solely because of advanced age, disability, or a mental health condition, including depression.

Mental capacity means having the ability to make and communicate an informed decision. The patient’s attending or consulting physician determines whether the patient has the required mental capacity. A licensed mental health professional may also be involved if the physician is unsure. Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care cannot participate in determining eligibility.

Patients must be fully informed about:

• Their diagnosis and prognosis
• The potential risks and benefits of the medication
• The probable result of taking the medication
• Available end-of-life options, including comfort care, palliative care, hospice care, and pain control
• Their right to withdraw their request at any time

No. MAiD is an option. Patients may choose other approaches to end-of-life care, including hospice, palliative care, comfort-focused care, and pain and symptom management.

Yes. The law gives patients the right to withdraw their request at any time or choose not to take the medications.

No. Lightways staff do not prescribe, obtain, transport, prepare, mix, administer, or assist with MAiD medications as part of their work for Lightways.

If you ask about MAiD, Lightways staff will provide information about community resources and a list of physicians or organizations that can assist with the MAiD process.

No. A patient’s decision to ask about or pursue MAiD does not change their eligibility for hospice care or the care they receive from Lightways. Lightways will continue to provide compassionate hospice services, including comfort care, symptom management, emotional support, spiritual care, and bereavement care for your loved ones.

No. Lightways staff will not encourage or discourage a patient from pursuing MAiD. Our role is to provide accurate information, answer questions within our scope, support your goals and wishes, and continue providing hospice care.

Lightways employed and contracted physicians will not serve as the attending or consulting physician for purposes of the MAiD process while performing duties on behalf of Lightways.

If your primary care physician is unable or unwilling to participate in the MAiD process, Lightways may be able to provide information on appropriate resources to help you identify a physician or organization that can assist.

Lightways staff cannot be present at the bedside in their capacity as Lightways employees or representatives when a patient self-administers MAiD medication.

Lightways can, however, come to the home after the patient has died to assist the family and/or caregiver, call the coroner, the funeral home, dispose of other medications, and follow our usual processes.

You may choose who you would like to be involved in discussions and planning. Your healthcare team can help you and your family prepare for your end-of-life wishes, including your preferred location of death, who you would like present, and meaningful cultural, spiritual, or personal rituals.

If you are considering MAiD, your hospice team can help you think through your wishes and provide support with topics such as:

• Advance directives and healthcare power of attorney
• POLST, when appropriate
• Funeral and final arrangements
• Your preferred location of death
• Who would you like present
• Cultural, spiritual, or personal traditions that are important to you
• What you want your end-of-life experience to be like
• How you would like your family and caregivers to be supported

The policy states that unused MAiD medication must be safely disposed of in accordance with applicable state and federal requirements. Lightways staff can provide guidance to patients and families regarding safe storage and disposal. Staff will not take custody of or dispose of the medication on behalf of the family.

Yes. Lightways’ grief and bereavement support remains available to patients and their families regardless of the patient’s end-of-life decision. Families may receive anticipatory grief support during the patient’s illness and bereavement services following the death, consistent with Lightways’ standard bereavement program.

Your consideration of, inquiry about, or pursuit of MAiD is confidential health information protected by applicable privacy laws. Lightways staff will not disclose information about your MAiD status to family members, next of kin, or others without your explicit informed consent.

If you have specific wishes about who should or should not be informed, please discuss those wishes with your hospice team so they can be documented and communicated appropriately.

Under the Illinois law addressed in the Lightways policy, actions taken in accordance with the Act do not constitute suicide, assisted suicide, euthanasia, mercy killing, homicide, or another civil or criminal violation under the law.

Your Lightways hospice team is available to listen to your questions and provide accurate, objective information to the best of our ability. You can speak with your nurse, social worker, chaplain, physician, or another member of your care team. Your team can also provide information about appropriate community resources.