Dignity Therapy - Ontario HPC Conference

One of the highlights of attending the Ontario HPC conference in Toronto was hearing Dr. Harvey Chochinov speak.

According to his bio listed on the Canadian Virtual Hospice website Dr. Chochinov "is known around the world for his research into the emotional and psychological needs of dying patients. His work exploring dignity in palliative care has been published in journals such as The Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal....."

"Dr. Chochinov established the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit at CancerCare Manitoba and holds the only Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care. He is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Order of Manitoba for his work in palliative care. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences."

He is also the Chair of Canadian Virtual Hospice (see previous blog). But for me, it was his gentle presence and his statement "I am not an expert but a messenger" that drew me to him. (Did you know that Dame C. Saunders defined an expert as "One who knows the answers before the question is asked"?)

Dr. Chochinov spoke on Dignity Therapy, and in addressing our role as caregivers he said that our role is to "make sure that the individual does not lose their sense of self". He talked of how this is sometimes done intuitively, but also referred to a model.... "His A, B, C and D guide to patient care – A for attitude, B for behaviour, C for compassion and D for dialogue – reminds doctors and other health professionals to make time for kindness and humanity in health care. Dr. Chochinov’s research shows that something as simple as a kind word or sympathetic touch influences how patients experience illness."

June 14-16 a course on Dignity Therapy is being offered in Winnipeg. As of this date, there are still a few places open to the public. This course will draw on people from across the globe, and provide an incredible opportunity to be a part of a rich learning experience. For more information about the workshop, please contact: CancerCare Manitoba Research Unit at
mpcru@cancercare.mb.ca

For those of us who can not make it to the course, they are developing a website which should be up and running soon. Because Dr. Chochinov is chair of Canadian Virtual Hospice, and because Canadian Virtual Hospice is one of the finest online learning resources I know,... I am sure that this site will be full of resources and practical ideas.

Kath

Publish Post

Information retrieved on April 29, 2010 from the Canadian Virtual Hospice website:
http://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home+Navigation/About+Us/Meet+the+Team/CVH+Team+Members+/Executive+Team/Dr_+Harvey+Max+Chochinov_+OM_+MD_+PhD_+FRCPC_+FRSC.aspx?group=Meet+the+Team

New book: Transforming Palliative Care in Nursing Homes The Social Work Role

Edited by Mercedes Bern-Klug

Many of you have heard me talk about one of my favorite articles, which I consider a seminal paper, “The Ambiguous Dying Syndrome” written by Mercedes Bern-Klug. In this paper she explores the challenges experienced by those who are certainly dying, but their time of death is unknown, and as such, they miss out on the ‘death benefits’, those things that we “get” when we are dying, i.e. the opportunities for closure, financial benefits, home support help etc etc etc! She links in with Joanne Lynn’s materials on dying with chronic illness, and how many people will not know a week before they die that they are in fact going to be dead in a matter of days. (Health and Social Work: Feb 2004; 29, 1, page 55)

In a new book Mercedes brought together experts on nursing, law, medicine, sociology, and social

work to provide a thorough understanding of palliative care in the long term care setting. Their broad definition of palliative care suggests that comfort care is appropriate across the illness experience, not just in the last days. A majority of residents in long term care are older adults facing multiple, advanced chronic conditions. This book is grounded in the provision of palliative care in nursing homes, but can be applied to

other long-term care settings, such as assisted living. The contributors combine scholarship with practical wisdom in each chapter, mixing reviews of scholarly literature with insights gleaned from clinical practice.

I highly recommend you ordering this book if you work in the long term care setting, and if you believe that palliative care should not be limited to those dying of cancer in a shorter more predictable time line.

Kath

Mercedes Bern-Klug is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa

Title: Transforming Palliative Care in Nursing Homes The Social Work Role

ISBN • 978-0-231-13225-1

Opportunities for community work in Nicaragua

In March we went to Nicaragua for two weeks. The first week we stayed at "Monty's surf camp" on the west coast in Jiquilillo a small fishing town. We soaked in the sun, met the local people and marveled at the community work that Monty is involved in.

The camp is owned by Monty (Donald Montgomery)a Canadian teacher, is managed by a warm and delightful Gerry, and the cooking/cleaning is done by a warm and welcoming team of people.

I was totally thrilled to see the projects that they are doing in the community. They built and opened a health clinic, provide regular lunches for one of the local schools, installed water filters for families in the area. Currently they are building a community center which will house the Women's Collective and provide space for the women to sew and bake.

If you are interested in community service Monty is very approachable and can link your skills with the local needs. They have had students, interns, physicians, nurses, builders, architects, etc... come to work there.
(Disclaimer and pride filled announcement - Monty is my dear cousin!)

(http://www.montysbeachlodge.com/default.htm)