Visits to the end-of-life Centres A note about Phoenix Care

The newest of the Assisted Voluntary Dying (AVD) providers in Switzerland is Phoenix Care.   www.phoenix-care.ch.   Based in Liestal, near Basel, it began operations in the middle of 2025 and had, by Christmas, completed 20 AVD procedures.

Phoenix uses the same AVD suite in Liestal as is used by Lifecircle.   Its use by Lifecircle itself has been reduced greatly because Lifecircle closed its membership list in 2022 and is therefore catering only for members of long standing.   One of the founders of Phoenix, Barbara, has experience with both Lifecircle and Pegasos.   Barbara and Susanna see themselves very much as a continuation of the Lifecircle approach.   Their relationship with Erika Preisig, the Lifecircle founder, has been very influential.

I have seen the AVD premises (they are functional and efficient rather than beautiful) but I have not yet met the founders personally.   This page is therefore shown as a “note of”, rather than “visit to”.

The total costs at Phoenix Care are in the same league as the others.   The whole VAD process will cost 10,600 Swiss Francs ($13,300 or £9,900) of which 3,500 ($4,400 or £3,250) is represented by the application process.

The procedure and documentation requirements are totally in line with Swiss law and are therefore common to all providers.   However, there are one or two minor differences :

• In cases where “mental capacity” might be an issue, Phoenix Care (like the others) ask for a supportive opinion from a psychiatrist or geriatrician in an applicant’s own country.   If this proves difficult, and it sometimes does, they will arrange for a special opinion from a Swiss doctor instead.   This will be in addition to the usual pre-VAD appointment at which the application generally is reviewed.

• Phoenix Care also have a rather distinctive position in relation to applications from elderly people who are simply satisfied with the life they’ve had and don’t want to run the risks that inevitably come with much greater age.   They point out, for example, that the risks of strokes,falls and coronary failures increase rapidly after the age of 85.   Simple fear of those developments, even in the absence of any other illnesses, would be regarded by Phoenix as an adequate qualification for acceptance.   Whilst such cases would also be acceptable to Pegasos and Athanasios, they could face more difficulties with Dignitas.
• The charge for the application process is not paid until a Green Light has been agreed.   If an application fails, then no charge is made.   All that will have been paid is the joining fee of 100 Swiss Francs, together with 50 Swiss Francs per year for annual membership.

The AVD method is based on a cannula and patient-operated valve.   The medication is pentobarbital of sodium.

In the early days of Dignitas and Lifecircle, many people joined as members to make sure that the choice of an AVD was going to be available in the future.   They had no immediate intention of booking a date and, indeed, many never went on to do so.   The situation is now rather different.   Most people who become members want to apply for a Green Light straight away.   Phoenix Care, like Pegasos and certainly like Athanasios has been set up on that basis.

As is apparent from the Phoenix Care website, Barbara and Susanna are keen to adopt a “caring” approach to their work.   They are not simply regarding it as a business and do not see things in a transactional way.   They genuinely care about the personal circumstances of every individual they help.