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 […]
“Singers sing, painters paint, and I am a hospice aide and I care. I love it. It is what I do… It is what I have to do.” Terry, a hospice aide October is the month to celebrate personal support workers1 in several provinces in Canada. In the US, the contributions of hospice aides and […]
A recent study showcases the fabulous potential of HCWs to enhance pain management and care provided by the health care team for people with dementia (De Witt Jansen, Brazil, Buchanan et al, 2017). In the study, it was reported that most HCWs regularly completed informal pain assessments, based on deep knowledge of the person gained […]
September… The end of summer, the beginning of a new year (school), and for some… a time when the time felt like it stopped and life changed. My heart and prayers go out to the many people affected by the wild fires, the floods and the other disasters and dangers. As I sit in my […]