Ambulance 912HAP 9252
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General health information

End of life

End of life care focuses on comfort, calm, dignity and clear arrangements. Advance care planning helps you discuss treatment wishes, where care will be provided and contact people in good time. Palliative care does not mean giving up: it focuses on quality of life and symptom relief. Check local laws and procedures on Curaçao separately; do not automatically assume Dutch rules on euthanasia or end of life decisions apply. When dying is expected, follow the existing care plan and treating team's guidance; 912 is only for unexpected, immediate threats to life.

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  • End of life care focuses on comfort, calm, dignity and appropriate medical choices.
  • Advance care planning helps you discuss wishes before a crisis develops.
  • Palliative care does not mean nothing more is done; the emphasis shifts to quality of life and symptom relief.
  • Those close to the person benefit from a clear plan: whom to call during the day, outside office hours and in an unexpected emergency.
  • Do not automatically assume foreign rules on euthanasia or procedures apply. Have local laws and practice on Curaçao confirmed separately.

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Further reading

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M
Mouth problems at the end of lifeAt the end of life, mouth care focuses on comfort: a moist, clean mouth, less pain and care that fits the person's wishes and capacity.
C
Care and treatment preferencesThinking about future care preferences helps record what matters to you if you later cannot speak or decide for yourself. Discuss values, treatment limits and a representative with your doctor and loved ones, record agreements clearly and have them checked against the rules and care practices of Curaçao.
E
EuthanasiaEuthanasia means a doctor deliberately ending a patient's life at that patient's explicit request. Curaçao has no statutory euthanasia procedure comparable to that in the Netherlands: ending life on request and assisting suicide are criminal offences under the published Curaçao Criminal Code. Always discuss a wish to die carefully with your GP (family doctor) and ask about palliative care.