New 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…
Read MoreFew Canadians have early access to home palliative care: study
Following the recent study done by CIHI, an article in Global News by Katherine Ward recounts the story of Anya Humphrey’s struggle with palliative care options and how she feels it affected her family. “Anya Humphrey’s century old home is filled with countless happy family memories. ‘He was a natural born photographer,’ she said as she…
Read MoreAccess to Palliative Care in Canada
Brought to us by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. “Canadians are living longer, but they are not always living better. For many people, living longer means a struggle with poor health caused by chronic conditions, degenerative diseases or cancer. Thanks to improved medical treatments, declines in health are now more gradual, but this can…
Read MoreA Framework for Palliative Care
Palliative care affects Canadians of all ages, and while it is not only needed for the elderly, we know there are now more seniors than children in Canada. This demographic is changing the face of Canadian society and adding new policy needs at all levels of government. The gaps in palliative care can and must…
Read MoreSpeeches at Local Rotary Clubs
Today, our two co-chairs, Jackie Holzman and Jim Nininger, were pleased to be guest speakers at The Bytown Rotary Club and The Rotary Club of West Ottawa, respectively. They spoke about Compassionate Ottawa and the work that it is doing in the community. Both clubs provided our co-chairs with thought-provoking feedback; Jackie and Jim were delighted…
Read MoreGini’s Story: An Enlightening Conversation About Death
Brought to us by Compassionate Communities Kingston Canada, Gini tells her personal story about being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and how her journey of acceptance has unfolded. Gini discusses the realities of grief, the medical community, and how she learned to live as well as she can with her remaining time. Watch the video…
Read MoreCall for Participants in a Research Project Focusing on End-of-Life-Care Conversations
Researchers at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute have developed an online tool to help older adults living in the community who face uncertainties around end-of-life care needs and wishes. With funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), they are now consulting with patients and health-care providers to refine the tool before trial implementation…
Read MoreNew Reports on Status of End-of-Life Care in Ottawa and Hamilton
Cardus has recently published the results of their case studies on the status of End-of-Life-Care in two Ontario cities, Ottawa and Hamilton. The case study for Ottawa looks at three sectors of hospital services, long-term care facilities and home care facilities to provide a landscape of where Ottawa stands with regard to end-of-life care. The…
Read MoreChronique: L’angle mort
CHRONIQUE L’ANGLE MORT PATRICK LAGACÉ LA PRESSE Le courriel de Jean-François Messier est tombé dans ma messagerie le mercredi 31 janvier, à 21 h 28. Son message portait le titre suivant : « Ma mère est décédée. » Ghislaine Messier avait succombé la veille à un cancer, à l’âge de 67 ans. Jean-François m’écrivait pour me faire le récit du passage de sa…
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