Most Canadians want to live in their own homes and communities until the end of their lives, getting help from their family and friends when needed. However, most have never talked to their family and friends about their end of life wishes and do not feel well prepared for giving and getting help.

The project created three community education resources to raise awareness of end-of-life issues and prompt people to prepare for giving and getting help in later life. The resources can be used individually and to support small group discussions.

The resources include 7 short videos that share a personal experience of someone giving or getting help, book chat guides for reading and discussing the book, “Talking about Death Won’t Kill You”, and an inspirational video that tells the Compassionate Ottawa story. These resources have been evaluated and are supported by guides on how to use them.

The Canadian Frailty Network provided financial support for the project which was matched by community partners and funders (see below).

Designed to create a collaborative end of life culture, the project focuses on strengthening links between family, community and organizational capacity, while enhancing links between health services, community programs, neighborhoods and the broader community. HELP Ottawa is working with two community health centres (CHC’s) and two faith communities to build, implement and evaluate initiatives to create meaningful change. The two CHC’s are South East Ottawa and Centertown. The two faith communities are Orleans United Church and Christ Church Bells Corners. The project concludes in the fall of 2022 and will includes documentation of materials that can be used by others wishing to implement similar Initiatives. The project is being carried out at Carleton University and is funded by a private foundation.