Pain Management and Palliative Care for Mesothelioma Patients

by Kath Murray

May is Clean Air Month

The folks at Mesothelioma.net are reaching out to teach about mesothelioma. We are re-posting this blog article by Faith Franz for Clean Air Month,  and recommend that you check out their website at www.mesothelioma.net for more information.

Pain Management and Palliative Care for Mesothelioma Patients 

(Guest post by Faith Franz, researcher and writer for The Mesothelioma Center)

After attempting to control the growth of a tumor, pain management is one of the most important goals of many cancer treatments. This is especially true for patients with mesothelioma, which is a rare and aggressive cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos.Full Post:   Read More

Celebrating Excellence in Care-giving!

by Ann-Marie and Kath

Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Nurses Group has two awards open for nominations

  • The Lifetime Achievement Award is to honour a registered nurse and/or nurse practitioner, who is member of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Nurses Group (CHPCNG) has made outstanding contributions to Hospice Palliative Care (HPC), HPC nursing and the HPC nursing group during the course of their nursing career.
  • The Leadership Award is to honour a registered nurse and/or nurse practitioner, who is member of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Nurses Group (CHPCNG) who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership through advocacy for high quality and safe hospice palliative care, the generation and application of related knowledge and research, and the establishment of collegial partnerships, and/or contributions to the professional development of others through education, consultation, leadership, and mentorship. Nominations for the awards will open today and close on March 15th.

The Frances Montgomery Personal Support Worker Hospice Palliative Care Award

This  award is given annually to a Personal Support Worker in Ontario, nominated for excellence in hospice palliative care. (This award, and the following award were developed by Life and Death Matters and tribute Kath’s aunt Frances Montgomery.)

  • The award celebrates Frances Montgomery and her commitment to caring for the dying within her family and extended community. This award acknowledges the invaluable contribution of Personal Support Workers in providing excellent care for the dying, support for families and loved ones, and helping to move quality hospice palliative care forward in Ontario.

The Frances Montgomery Compassionate Community Caregiver Award

This award celebrates the immense contributions of the social community in caring for people at end-of-life and acknowledges that care of the sick and the dying is “everyone’s responsibility”.

  • This award acknowledges the invaluable contribution of community members who provide care and support for people throughout the living-dying and bereavement process. It is presented to an individual who is a dedicated “compassionate community caregiver”. It is hoped that the award will be used to help the individual access education or educational resources to increase their care competencies.

Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Awards

Nurses in the United States are eligible for a wide range of awards listed on the HPNA website. Nomination forms are available on the website and completed forms are due July 1, 2018. Consider someone to nominate!Full Post:   Read More

The Unfolding of MAiD in Canada

by Ann-Marie and Kath

Legislation passed 18 months ago removed the provision of Medical Assistance in Dying, (MAiD), from the Criminal Code of Canada. A person’s request for assistance with dying could be granted after extensive consultation, and a waiting period. Physicians and nurse practitioners who provided medical assistance in dying would not be performing illegal activities. We checked in to look whether Canadians were choosing MAiD, and to learn more about the challenges experienced by people requesting MAiD, the providers, and the general population.Full Post:   Read More

Celebrating Marilyn Gladu, MP Sarnia-Lambton

by Ann-Marie and Kath

Marilyn Gladu, MP

“The passage of this bill by the Senate marks the final legislative step in a long process whereby C-277 has received unanimous support in both the House of Commons and Senate Chamber. The bill’s passage ensures that we can begin working with our Provincial and Territorial partners to create the necessary palliative care framework to give Canadians the type of end of life and near-end of life care that they deserve and want.“

Marilyn Gladu, MP Sarnia-Lambton

On December 8, 2018, Marilyn celebrated the passage of her Private Members Bill C-277, which ensures the development of a palliative care framework in Canada. This is my posting to Facebook after I met with her January 23, 2018.Full Post:   Read More