PROJECT CONSULTANT – PART-TIME
CONTRACT POSITION

Compassionate Ottawa (CO) is seeking a part-time Project Consultant to support a project funded by the Ontario Seniors Community Grant Program. The Project Consultant will be responsible for leading and fulfilling the project’s main objectives, which will include conducting a needs assessment within identified retirement homes in Ottawa to better understand key issues, and needs of residents and their families. The project consultant will work closely with the Project Committee and community partners to develop workshop outline based on these findings, as well as a workshop guide to better support residents on key topics related to end-of-care, health care planning, grief and bereavement and other related topics. This position, located in Ottawa, will begin in early winter of 2023. The contract will be for approximately 15 days of work.

Qualifications
• Experience with conducting and leading needs assessments and community consultations, including the designing of interviews, compiling of relevant data and report writing.
• Comfortable working with and talking about challenging subject matter including end-of-life care planning, grief and loss etc.

Skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrated experience in managing a project
• Ability to develop and maintain partnerships
• Advanced computer and internet skills
• Bilingualism an asset

Compassionate Ottawa and the Preparing for End of Life – Conversations with Seniors in Retirement Residences
Compassionate Ottawa is a community movement that works to change the way we think about living well, dying, death and grief and to strengthen the capacity of people to care for each other in times of serious illness and loss. We passionately believe that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy wellness and self-respect until the end of life.

The difficulty in acknowledging and speaking about death reflects that, in general, we live in a death denying culture, one that discourages talking about important issues including end-of-life care planning. Recent data tell us that most Seniors think it is important to talk about end-of-life care with family and friends, but less than half have actually done so. However, there are few places that Seniors can gather to discuss these issues and learn about the resources available to them. Research also tells us that when Seniors have conversations about planning for their future and end-of-life care they are more satisfied with their situation and care, are more likely to have their wishes met and they and their families suffer less anxiety. Compassionate Ottawa aims to benefit the seniors by bringing these conversations directly to where they live, in retirement homes, and will empower them with the knowledge and skills they need to plan and live well.
Compassionate Ottawa will also work closely with community partners, identifying key organizations to support the delivery of workshops based on the key issues identified in the needs assessment. This project aims to create a foundation of essential workshops and resources that will be translated and available in both official languages and that will be implemented in retirement homes and the broader Ottawa community in late spring/early summer of 2023.

Benefits to participants:
• Opportunity to learn about important topics relating to end-of-life care through workshops led by community experts and leaders
• Opportunity to consider the benefit to the whole community in becoming more comfortable talking about end-of-life care for themselves and help alleviate anxiety with families.
• New connections and networks developed with organizations marketing workshops and from where participants might come

Benefits to the whole community:
• An understanding of the value of end-of-life conversations
• New resources, in two official languages available to retirement residents and the broader Ottawa community.

Duties and responsibilities of the Project Consultant:
The Project Consultant will work closely with the Project Advisory
Committee, Project Officer and the Program Coordinator to:

• Design comprehensive interviews to conduct needs assessment within identified retirement residences in Ottawa to understand needs of residents and their families
• Compile data and analyze findings to identify key issues and develop an outline for workshops based on findings
• Identify and consult with community partners to help support the delivery of workshops in retirement homes
• Design and develop the Facilitator’s Guide for workshops, with the support of community partners

Compassionate Ottawa will be responsible for:

Translation and Evaluation
• Developing evaluation tools for workshops and Guide
• Designing and implement the overall project evaluation, drawing on the expertise of CO’s evaluation team
• Ensuring all materials are translated

Terms of the Contract
Remuneration will be approximately $12 500

Submitting Expression of Interest
Please send your letter of interest and resumé to
jena@compassionateottawa.ca
Closing date for applications is Thursday, December 15th 2022