Strengthening a Palliative Approach in Long-Term Care

Speech language pathologists have a unique and important role in a palliative approach to care, especially when it comes to managing risk and maintaining quality of life. Caitlin Buchell is a Speech Language Pathologist working in  Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. She works with individuals with neurological disorders at the end of life to maximize their quality of life and ensure that they&apos...

Bahar Karimi believes that compassion is the foundation to a palliative approach to care, and that it starts with ensuring that team members feel valued, safe and cared for.  She believes that we need a culture change in long-term care, one that identifies residents' multi-dimensional needs and gives team members the knowledge and tools to provide the best possibly care and quality of life. B...

When you think of paramedics, do you think of 911 and emergency services? A community paramedics program in Peterborough is working to provide palliative and social services to seniors at home, with a goal to help them live well at home  for as long as they can.  Paramedics provide medical, emotional and mental health supports, and can identify individuals who may be at risk. They are also an advo...

A new diversity toolkit is providing resources for long-term care organizations to help raise awareness of issues of equity, diversity and inclusion. The Embracing Diversity: A Toolkit for Supporting Inclusion in Long-Term Care Homes is an interactive resource with print and online components that gives long-term care homes practical steps to nurture diverse and welcoming communities. We spoke wit...

"That's where the communication bit really is important. There's still medicine along the way, there's still chronic disease management. but it's the soft skills and the relationships and how you can leverage that to really make that stay for the long-term care resident and their family as peaceful, as comfortable and as high quality for them as possible."  Dr. Henry...

Courtney Hicks is a PhD student at the University of Waterloo in the School of Public Health Sciences, Aging Health and Wellbeing program. Her research focuses on a palliative approa h to care for persons living with dementia in long-term care settings. For two years, she worked as a Meaningful Connections Coordinator alongside a recreation and leisure team in a long-term care home in southern Ont...

Essential life lessons from family caregivers: On autonomy, commitment, and diversity In this final episode, co-hosts Katie and Sibtain consider how the project intersects with their personal and professional lives. During this conversation, they discuss three important take-home messages from those who participated in this podcast series. These messages connect to the themes of autonomy, commitme...

Everyone has their own perspective In this episode, you’ll meet Suzanne, a retired teacher who – along with several siblings – provides care to her mother. As co-hosts Katie and Sibtain ask questions about the experience of sharing the caregiving responsibilities within a large family, Suzanne reflects openly on how everyone – including her mother – has their own perspective!  "We are very lu...

Some friends become family In this episode, Rina shares wisdom from decades of experience supporting a close friend whose physical and cognitive function is changing. She keeps things grounded as she narrates the specific and creative ways she contributes to her friend’s quality of life. When it comes down to it, Rina’s story is about treating others as we’d like to be treated, and about prioritiz...

Dr. Sandy Shamon is a physician and medical director working in long-term care, and a palliative care consultant at Sinai Health in Toronto, Ontario, Dr. Shamon is interested in improving quality of care in long-term care, through research and her advocacy role with the Ontario long-term care clinicians organization, where she works to champion system reform and education to enhance the quality of...

Caregiving is just what I do In this episode, Sheila, a Nehiyaw (Cree) woman from Treaty 6 Territory, explains how she supports an adult son living with an acquired brain injury and a genetic syndrome. While co-hosts Katie and Sibtain prepare for this exchange, Sheila explains the meaning of their tobacco offering. As Sheila describes how her son navigates his health conditions and how she support...

Jen Logan has been nursing for 25 years and has worked in palliative care in many capacities, including community nursing care coordination for a palliative care team. In her current role as a palliative pain and symptom management consultant, she is also an advanced care planning regional champion, which allows her to build the capacity of frontline care providers in advanced care planning and th...

Gita Rafiee is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Fraser Health in British Columbia, and a clinical Instructor at Vancouver community college.  She has extensive experience in several clinical settings, including Acute care, Assisted Living and Long-Term Care, and she works with students, patients, families, and interdisciplinary teams to promote patient health and well-being and quality of life. Nick...

When the going gets tough, the tough get going In this episode, Darrel looks back on pivotal moments in his caregiving journey, including the moment he first realized his mother’s cognitive health was changing, and the moment he realized how hard it was for his father to be his mother’s sole caregiver . He shares what inspired him to step into a role as their primary family caregiver, and how this...

Sandra Chow is a recently retired teacher and program consultant who worked for 30 years with the Waterloo and Hamilton boards of education. She has continued her learning in retirement with courses from the university of Toronto, continuing studies in mindfulness informed end of life care. She also recently became involved with the community of practice for strengthening a palliative approach in...

Dr. Amit Arya is a palliative care physician who works in hospital, home care,  and long-term care facilities, and is also a professor at the University of Toronto and McMaster University.  He's currently the palliative care lead at Kensington Health in Toronto, and also works at the Freeman Centre for Palliative Care at North York General Hospital in Toronto, Ontario.  He holds multiple lead...

Dr. Patricia Strachan is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at McMaster University. Her clinical background is in emergency intensive care and adult medical surgical nursing.   Dr. Strachan's research interests have evolved as she works to understand how we talk with patients living with advanced heart failure about their illness and its implications. Her focus in education and r...

Jackie McDonald recently retired after being a Personal Support Worker for the past 27 years. She has worked in both community and long-term care settings in Thunder Bay, and she was the PSW lead for the Quality Palliative Care in Long-Term Care project at Lakehead University from 2004 to 2009. Through this project, Jackie has help to develop many initiatives pertaining to bettering the quality of...

A self-styled approach to disability support In this episode, you’ll meet sisters Krysta and Kayley. In addition to being a family member, Krysta also works as Kayley's full-time caregiver. Using an open and humorous approach, the two share what it's been like to self-style their caregiving relationship. In doing so, they illustrate how important it is for care to run both ways. This lea...

Laura Bulmer is a Registered Nurse with a Masters in Education who has extensive palliative care experience.  As full- time faculty in a Toronto college, Laura has taught in the nursing and Personal Support Worker programs for over 2 decades.  She is the recipient of an RNAO Best Practice Award for her work in palliative care including the My Story and Can We Talk project. Laura’s passions include...

Since 1972, researcher Mary Lou Kelley  has been engaged in gerontology and palliative care practice, teaching and research. She has made major contributions to research in long-term care, and rural and First Nations communities, using participatory, community development approaches to empower and support community members and front line workers.  Her research has led to changes that have improved...

Keeping family close while living at a distance Marlene shares her experience of keeping family close while living at distance. She explains how long-distance caregivers stay actively involved in coordinating care, describes the feelings that arise from not being physically present all the time, and offers listeners ideas for bridging the distance. “We have a standing date - every Thursday we visi...

Join co-hosts Katie Ottley and Sibtain Ali for a series of conversations with Canadian family caregivers. As guests Marlene, Kayley, Krysta, Sheila, Suzanne, Rina, and Darrel share powerful life lessons on caring from near and far, Katie and Sibtain realise that no two families are alike and that there is much to be learned from hearing each other’s stories. Katherine (Katie) Ottley is a doctoral...