Going to Switzerland is the only book of its kind to provide a step-by-step guide that explains how and why it is that non-Swiss nationals can get help to die in Switzerland.
The book explains the principal clinics who offer services to foreigners, the various application process, qualification criteria (especially as it pertains to a mental health diagnosis, including dementia/ Alzheimer’s), who gets the ‘green light’ and why, the different methods of death used by the different groups, & the differences in acceptance policies between the various clinics. We also discuss visas, immigration & return vs one-way tickets and passing through Swiss immigration at the airport.
For family and friends, Going to Switzerland details what to expect before, during and (especially) after a VAD in Switzerland, including how Exit can help comfort those left behind in Switzerland and, more broadly, how to ‘break the news’ to those left at home. We also explain Swiss cremation, death certificates, clinic costs (and refund policies).
Going to Switzerland provides invaluable background for anyone contemplating making a final trip to Switzerland & ties in well to the Application Assistance & Friend Assistance Programs offered by Exit International.
Book Contents (updated April 2024)
Introduction
– Dying in Switzerland
– The Swiss are Different
Swiss Law on Assisted Suicide
– How Assisted Suicide Doctors Operate in Switzerland
– Recent Changes to the Medical Guidelines
– Swiss Legal Summary
The Different Swiss Organisations
– Dignitas
– EX International
– Lifecircle & the Professor David Goodall Story
– Pegasos & the Laura Henkel Story
How to Apply to Die in Switzerland
– Exit Application Assistance Program (AAP)
– Exit Friend Assistance Program (FAP)
– Going Together
– Green Lights & Getting Accepted
– A Word about Mental Health
Preparing to go to Switzerland
– Do I need a visa?
– Do I buy a return ticket
– What do I say at Immmigration
– The Exit at the Euroairport in Basel
– Who Should You Tell of your Plans? A Tale of Two Sisters
– Talking about Plans with Family & Friends
What to Expect at a Swiss VAD
– Final Paperwork
– Family, Friends & your Posthumous Identification
– Timing of your Death
– Oral or Intravenous Drugs: It’s not Your Choice
– Where does the Death take Place?
– Before you Die
– After you have Gone
– Who Breaks the News?
– Death Certificates, Cremation & Body Repatriation
Costs
– Refund Policies
Introducing the Sarco
Conclusion
