Guest Post by Angela Bruce, RN Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War Photo Credit: www.healinghealth.com When I think of a single nurse’s voice, Florence Nightingale comes to mind. In the midst of the Crimean War battlefields, the “lady with a lamp” provided compassionate care to the sick and injured, murmuring words of comfort and offering […]
Life and Death Matters reached out to a few colleges and hospices using the text, Integrating a Palliative Approach: Essentials for Personal Support Workers, and companion resources in their teaching and asked permission to survey students about their learning experiences in hospice and palliative care. An online survey was distributed to individuals who used the […]
When someone says, “It was a good death” they may mean that from their personal perspective it was a good death. However, a death is only a “good death” if the person who is/was dying is honoured and their needs, preferences and goals are considered as life circumstances change, disease progresses and care plans are […]
The big news in Canada is the legalization of recreational cannabis, starting October 17, 2018. Across Canada, it will be legal to possess up to 30 grams of recreational cannabis in a public place and to grow up to 4 plants on your own property. While medical cannabis has been available legally since 2001, it […]
Memberships in professional associations have helped me to develop as a professional, and a hospice and palliative care provider. Through membership I have experienced opportunities for learning, providing feedback to the community and connecting with colleagues across the continent. These are my three “must-have” memberships. I also invite you to comment here on the Blog […]
Several years ago I found a book titled, More Moments in Time: Images of Exemplary Nursing. The book is by Beth Perry, a nurse from Alberta. The book is based on a study of the beliefs, actions, and interactions of a group of extraordinary palliative care nurses. Full of stories, poetry and wisdom, this book […]
Managing pain and dyspnea for people with life limiting illnesses requires safe opioid use. Opioid misuse can be minimized by using risk assessment tools, contracts for opioid use, and following guidelines for safe storage and disposal. The following are examples of tools you might see or use in your facility. Risk Assessment Tools When a […]
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Conference The Canadian Conference followed immediately after the International conference. Jeanne Weis, (CLPNA), Stephanie Buchanan and I delivered our presentation titled, “From Competencies to Curriculum, Classroom and the Clinical Setting”. It was right near the end of the conference, and I was so grateful to Cheri Purpur, Rose DeAngelais, Carol Banks and […]
At the end of September, I travelled to California for the California State University 2nd Annual National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education & Research At this conference I was delighted to co-present with Olga Ehrlich and Raeann Leblanc, on on integrating palliative care in core curriculum in the presentation title “Palliative and End of Life […]
Public Health Palliative Care International Conference (PHPCI) This. Is. An. Amazing. Conference. For meeting like-minded health care professionals from around the globe. I was interested in several presentations where the focus was on politics and policy, and the advocating that can happen at a high level to help support, stimulate, and inspire action from the […]