Canadians urged to plan ahead for end-of-life decisions as toll from COVID-19 builds
Photo by CHRIS YOUNG/THE CANADIAN PRESS. Article by Wency Leung. “As the death toll of the coronavirus pandemic mounts, some doctors are encouraging Canadians to plan for serious illness and possible death now, rather than leaving family and medical staff to make those difficult decisions once they become ill. “Having discussions around serious illness and…
Read MoreWhat would Dr. Hinshaw do? She would take a break – so she can get back to the important work at hand
by Stephen Legault “What can people working to stop the spread of COVID-19 learn from Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Deena Hinshaw? Besides how to provide a calm, steady and reassuring voice in a time of global crisis, we can learn how to take care of ourselves when we’re trying to save the world. “During her…
Read MoreIt’s Time to Talk About Death
Art by Celia Jacobs. Article by Sunita Puri, M.D. “LOS ANGELES — Joseph, a man in his 70s, has been on a ventilator for two weeks. His heart, lungs and kidneys are failing. Though I know these facts about his physiology, I will never see him up close. I can only glance at him through…
Read MoreDo your loved ones a favor. Find out now how they want to die.
By Emily Aaronson. “By now, most of us know the basics of getting through the coronavirus crisis: Wash your hands. Stay at home. Stay informed. “But there’s one other task we should all engage in now: Talk with a loved one about what they would need so that they can feel at peace at the end of…
Read MoreHELP Ottawa 1 Year Later
Time to celebrate! It’s our 1st birthday! This year, we successfully laid the foundations of our research on building compassionate communities. May this be the start of a new year filled with strong team work, robust research, and brand new initiatives. So many things have happened in the past year, we couldn’t resist giving a quick recap. Since the Launch in February 2019, we have: Partnered…
Read MoreNew Project Announcement
We are pleased to announce that we have received a grant from the Canadian Frailty Network to create three new community education resources to raise awareness of end of life issues and prompt citizens to be better prepared for giving and receiving help in later life. The three resources are: Digital stories (3 to 5…
Read MoreFirst Compassionate Workplace Meeting
We held our first compassionate workplace meeting at Carefor Health & Community Services on November 28, 2019. Twenty-two supervisors from across the region joined in on this conversation about how Carefor can become a more compassionate workplace. We were so pleased to have been a part of this discussion and look forward to having more…
Read MoreTalking About Death Won’t Kill You
Dr. Kathy Kortes-Miller speaking about death and dying. Photo taken by Ottawa Public Library. We were so thrilled to have partnered with Ottawa Public Library on the event “Talking About Death Won’t Kill You” on September 18, 2019, which featured an evening discussion about death and dying with Dr. Kathy Kortes-Miller and the Honourable Sharon…
Read MoreGrief in the American Workplace
by Judith Johnson “Can you imagine ‘getting over’ the death of someone you love deeply in four days? That’s the average paid leave given by American businesses according to ‘Grief Index: The ‘Hidden’ Annual Costs of Grief in America’s Workplace.’ The truth is there is no ‘getting over’ the death of a loved one in…
Read MoreWhat it’s really like to die at home in Ontario
by Celina Carter Pat Mackay wanted to die at home. Sixty-five years old and suffering from metastatic breast cancer, Pat told her family she wanted to spend her last days in her Toronto apartment where she could hold on to her favourite view overlooking the trees of the St. Clair Reservoir. Her husband, Mike, and…
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