Compassionate Ottawa at Limmud!
We are so pleased to have been invited to hold a café table and to have one of our co-founders, Jackie Holzman, featured as a speaker at Limmud Ottawa on Sunday, March 31, 2019! Our volunteers were able to deliver awareness about compassionate communities and why they are important during the hour focused on Conversations…
Read MoreCreating compassionate communities for older people
by Katie McKeown Older people are meaningful members of society, and they want to be treated that way. That was the key message from the Bolton Clarke Research Institute’s first Symposium on Social Connection in Older Age, held in Melbourne on March 22. The sold-out audience included researchers, service providers and older community members. BCRI…
Read MoreWALKER: Meaning and hope in moments of despair
by Kimothy Walker. When a well-known Ottawa chiropractor wrote to me suggesting her sister be a subject for a column because of her work with MAiD I could be forgiven for thinking maybe she cleaned houses for people in need, as the column is about people giving back. MAiD. Medical Assistance in Dying. Huh. Totally…
Read More$1.5m grant for Palliative Care Unit – La Trobe University
Equities Trustees (The Wicking Trust) will provide $1.5million over five years to the LTUPCU to help it build on its foundational work in developing public health approaches to palliative care. Established under the terms of the Will of the late John Oswald Wicking, The Wicking Trust supports organisations to effect systemic change in wellness and…
Read MoreMeeting with MPP Joel Harden
We are so pleased to have had a meeting with MPP Joel Harden to discuss Compassionate Ottawa and our vision of creating a compassionate community that supports and empowers individuals, their families and their communities throughout life for dying and grieving well. Pictured here are Jackie Holzman, CO co-founder; Joel Harden, MPP; and Jack McCarthy,…
Read MoreWho will care for Canada’s caregivers?
by Benjamin Tal. You see it on city streets, in restaurants of quiet towns, and in rural enclaves: Canadians are getting older. Medical advances have resulted in longer life spans, but the aging population is putting a strain on social services and increasingly, the burden of caregiving is falling on family members. Statistics show that…
Read MoreWhat to Say (and What Not to Say) to Someone Who’s Grieving
by David Pogue Do you laugh when someone’s grocery bag bursts? Do you find yourself stealing cabs? Have you shouted at puppies? If you answered yes to any of these, then you may have Empathy Deficit Disorder. For this Crowdwise, I asked you to recount some helpful things people said or did when you were…
Read MoreIf you can’t speak for yourself, who will make your medical decisions?
by Noam Berlin. “Have you thought about how you want to spend the last years, days and hours of your life? Have you talked about those wishes with anyone? I know my father’s wishes: If he had a terminal illness, he would want comfort, not time. Incurable cancer, severe stroke, massive heart attack? No drawn-out…
Read MoreNew Ottawa program aims to help people live well at the end of their lives
by Elizabeth Payne Although she cared for her sick husband for three years, Claudia Chowaniec admits she was in a “state of denial” that his death was imminent until the last few weeks of his life. When he told her he wanted to die at home, she was wary. “I was afraid and exhausted. Time…
Read MoreBusing: How we can truly support those facing death or grieving over loss
Living well and dying well are what we all hope for. As we face dying and death, we need all the support we can get. It comes from many places, but we all know about the challenges associated with crowded emergency departments, the wait for hospital beds, the inadequate number of community placements, the stress…
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