Newcastle death doula Ruth Boydell says voluntary assisted dying laws will allow eligible people to have loved ones around them and "their hands held" when they pass.
Ms Boydell believes this is important. It's something she could not do when her husband died.
She said the laws, to begin in NSW on November 28, were important in several ways.
"Even the knowledge of having VAD in their sights is a powerful tool for people," Ms Boydell said.
She said some people who know they can access voluntary dying won't go through with it, but will feel better to have the option.
"It will allay a lot of fears around the what-ifs," she said.
Ms Boydell said there were concerns about whether Hunter services will be ready by November 28.
NSW Health senior official Sophie Tyner told a public webinar on Tuesday night that the department had been "working closely with counterparts in local health districts to ensure that clear pathways for voluntary assisted dying are in place".
Ms Boydell said people were asking about the "next steps" to access the laws.
She advised people to talk to their GP and "find out if they're on board because if they aren't, they'll have to find another doctor to take them down that path".
The laws state that access to voluntary assisted dying must be through a "medical practitioner" who has "completed the approved training", but requests can be refused by those with "conscientious objection" or an unwillingness to be involved.
Ms Boydell runs a monthly death cafe at her Garden Suburb home and online, where people can talk openly about the subject.
As a death doula, she provides gentle guidance through death and dying.
Her husband Dave Hopkins, a paramedic for 25 years, took his life in 2019.
"I feel like I had my masterclass with my husband," Ms Boydell said.
"He'd been talking about suicide all the time we'd been together - 13 years.
"A lot of people know that. I get clients funnelled to me because they know I'm willing to talk about it."
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