Compassion & Choices

Compassion & Choices is a U.S. nonprofit organisation that advocates for patient-directed end-of-life care. It provides free information, consultation and planning tools to individuals and families, covering medical aid in dying, serious illness, dementia and advance care planning, and helps people document their wishes and navigate complex care decisions. The organisation describes itself as the largest in the United States advocating for patient-directed end-of-life care, and has spent more than 30 years building the end-of-life choice movement. The organisation's work spans direct client support, education and policy. Its national end-of-life consultancy program, developed in 1993, provides direct support and guidance to people with terminal illnesses and was the first of its kind in the country. Compassion Legal, its legal services arm, supports lawful end-of-life choices and legal advances for patients; among the outcomes it cites is a $1.5 million verdict for a California patient's pain and suffering in the landmark Bergman case. Alongside this, the organisation runs legislative and grassroots advocacy to expand lawful end-of-life choices, and public education and volunteer campaigns to widen awareness of and access to those options. The culture is mission-driven and built around grassroots advocacy and volunteer-led campaigning. Services are provided free to individuals and families, and the work combines direct client support with education and policy activity. The organisation operates within the United States across healthcare, end-of-life care, advance care planning, nonprofit advocacy and legal services. Compassion & Choices was founded in 2005.