Webinar focusses on improving palliative care services across the country
What: The power to choose: Improving end-of-life care in First Nations communities
Who: Mary Lou Kelley, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, Centre for Education and Research on Aging and Health, Lakehead University
When: Tuesday, September 22, 10 to 11 a.m.
Where: Reichwald Health Sciences Centre, room RHS 129, UBC’s Okanagan campus, Kelowna
The need for accessible, culturally appropriate palliative care services for First Nations communities is a growing social obligation and an emerging Canadian policy priority, says Mary Lou Kelley, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Work, Lakehead University.
However, Kelley says there is very little research to specifically inform palliative care delivery in First Nations communities. Her research “Improving End of Life Care in First Nations” funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and conducted in partnership with four First Nations communities in Ontario and Manitoba, provides original data and an approach to addressing these gaps in knowledge.
The goal of this research is to improve the end-of-life care in the four First Nations communities by developing community-based palliative care programs and teams.
A webinar discussing this research takes place at UBC’s Okanagan campus, Tuesday September 22, at 10 a.m. The webinar will provide an overview of the research project and describe a model that includes: local community development, regional partnerships, education, and community empowerment.
This model can guide the development of palliative care programs nationally, says Kelley. It will also present outcomes of the research, which are grounded in data collected during the past five years. The ultimate goal, says Kelley, is to provide policy recommendations and a framework for an integrated approach to addressing the gaps in palliative care services for First Nations.
This webinar, presented by the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, is free and open to the public. It takes place in the Reichwald Health Sciences Centre, room RHS 129, UBC’s Okanagan campus. Register at: carefirstnation.eventbrite.ca
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