At the end of last year, the Exit German Switzerland association had 167,631 members, it announced on Thursday. That is 19,679 more people than in the previous year.
In addition to the assisted death, 92,000 members also took advantage of the opportunity to deposit their living will.
The reason for the increase in suicide accompaniment is, among other things, the increasingly aging society with consequent severely debilitating illnesses or disabilities. The average age of the people accompanied was 80.7 years for women and 79 years for men.
Some 31% of those dying had terminal cancer. More and more elderly people with multiple complaints are also choosing a self-determined death. As in the previous year, more women (759) than men (493) were accompanied to their death.
According to Exit, three quarters of the assisted suicide accompaniments took place in private rooms, and almost a fifth of the accompaniments took place in retirement and nursing homes.
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A Swiss hospice where people can die with dignity
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Many people want to spend their last days at home. “La Maison de Tara” in Geneva offers an alternative to hospitalisation.
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