This is a courtesy translation provided for convenience. In case of any discrepancy, the Italian version prevails.
Last updated: 1 July 2026
Welcome to the website of the Adelma Association (www.adelma.org). These Terms and Conditions govern access to and use of our website and describe the principles and the ways in which the Association offers its activities and services to the community.
By browsing this website or interacting with the Association, users agree to comply with these terms. Anyone who does not agree with any of the clauses set out here is invited not to use the site.
1. Information about the association
The website www.adelma.org is operated by the Adelma Association, a non-profit association based in Lugano (Canton Ticino, Switzerland), founded to offer human, practical, emotional and spiritual accompaniment to people living the end of their life — with particular attention to those facing this passage alone — and to promote a positive culture of the end of life in the community.
2. Nature of the activities and accompaniment services
The Adelma Association operates in accordance with its own Founding Charter and Code of Ethics, and in compliance with the Swiss legal framework and the National Guidelines on Palliative Care.
- Absolute gratuity: All accompaniment services offered to people at the end of life and to their circle of care (family members, caregivers) are provided entirely free of charge.
- Prohibition of directly connected consideration: In line with our Code of Ethics, doulas and the Association do not accept payments, gifts, donations or acts of liberality from the people accompanied or from their family members that could constitute, even only in appearance, an exchange linked to the service provided.
- Non-medical nature of the role: The service is provided by end-of-life doulas. The doula strictly refrains from performing acts of a medical or healthcare nature (e.g. administering medication, dressings or invasive procedures) and in no way replaces healthcare staff or the palliative care team, with whom she instead collaborates in a complementary way.
3. Autonomy, consent and neutrality
- Free choice: Access to Adelma's services and their continuation are based exclusively on the free choice and informed consent of the person assisted, who may revoke or modify their decision at any time, without any form of pressure.
- Neutrality and respect for beliefs: The Association guarantees absolute respect for everyone's personal, philosophical and religious convictions, prohibiting any form of proselytism. Furthermore, Adelma maintains a position of strict neutrality with respect to end-of-life choices (including recourse to assisted suicide, within the limits of Swiss law). The role of our doulas is to provide a non-judgemental human presence, without ever influencing or actively participating in assisted-dying procedures.
4. Training services and registrations
Adelma organises training programmes for new end-of-life doulas (inspired by the INELDA method) as an act of giving skills back to the community.
- Selection and criteria: Registration for training courses is subject to selection processes based on aptitude and on sharing the Association's ethical values.
- Financial conditions: The costs of external training programmes are structured consistently with the non-profit nature of the Association, ensuring maximum financial accessibility, transparency and qualitative rigour. Payment, withdrawal and refund terms for the courses will be detailed in the specific registration forms for each training event.
5. Public events and awareness-raising
The Association organises meetings, events (such as Death Cafes) and awareness-raising activities open to the community.
- Registering for or taking part in such events through the website implies respect for the welcoming, non-denominational and pluralistic character of the spaces for dialogue offered.
- Any form of ideological propaganda, proselytism or behaviour disrespectful of others' sensitivities during association events is prohibited.
6. Donations and supporters
Donations to the Adelma Association are used exclusively to pursue its statutory purposes and to guarantee that services remain free of charge across the region.
- The Association operates according to principles of good governance and financial transparency.
- In order to protect the vulnerability of the people assisted, donations from people currently being accompanied or from their closest circles of care are not accepted, to avoid any risk of undue influence.
7. Intellectual property and use of website content
All texts, logos, the Founding Charter, the Code of Ethics, the graphic design and the informational materials on the website www.adelma.org are the exclusive property of the Adelma Association or of its legitimate licensors, and are protected by Swiss and international copyright law.
- Consultation and downloading of materials is permitted for strictly personal and informational use.
- Reproduction, distribution or commercial use of the texts and contents of the site without the express written consent of the Association is prohibited.
8. Limitation of liability
The contents of this website serve a purely informational and cultural awareness-raising purpose. Although Adelma strives to publish rigorous and up-to-date information, it assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents. The information provided on the site does not in any way constitute medical, therapeutic, legal or specialist advice. For any need of a clinical or healthcare nature, users must consult qualified professionals.
9. Data protection (Privacy)
The processing of personal data of users who browse the site, subscribe to the newsletter or training courses, or request accompaniment takes place in full compliance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and as detailed in our Privacy Policy.
10. Changes to the terms and conditions
The Adelma Association reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions at any time to adapt them to new activities or legislative changes. Users are invited to consult this page periodically.
11. Applicable law and jurisdiction
These Terms and Conditions are governed by Swiss law. For any dispute arising from the interpretation or execution of these terms, the exclusive place of jurisdiction is Lugano, Switzerland.
Contact
For any questions or requests for clarification regarding these Terms, you can contact us at:
Adelma Association
Via Romeo Manzoni 8, 6900 Lugano
079 846 78 00 - info@adelma.org