A dream come true –
10/25/2021
When someone asks if I am excited about the launch of PACE for PSWs, I say “Yes, it is a dream come true”.
Read MoreBlogs
Fatigue, Burnout, Resilience – Why am I feeling this way?
10/15/2021
Increasing our capacity for resilience can help us to cope as well as ‘bounce back’ from life’s challenges, supporting our health and wellbeing.
Read MorePSWs* identify their top five concerns
08/09/2021
In July 2021 we invited PSWs (HCAs/CCAs) to identify their top five concerns. Their responses: Preventing compassion fatigue and burnout. Dealing with grief associated with COVID, restrictions, etc.. Finding education in palliative and end-of-life care education and training. Building the skills to be heard and acknowledged as vital members of the team. Working short staffed.
Read MoreProviding Care During COVID
05/06/2021
On Monday, Dr David Kenneth Wright spoke during the “FREE WEBINAR SERIES for PSWs about providing care during COVID. I was touched by the stories he shared, by the points that he made, and by the responses/input from those who attended. Near the end of his presentation he said and asked, “COVID-19 has changed so
Read MoreFree education for PSWs, but at what cost?
03/20/2021
Did You Know? 40% of PSWs leave within one year of training. For every 10 people who graduate, 4 of those leave the profession in the first year.
Read MoreGrief during COVID
02/17/2021
In an article titled, “There is no vaccine for grief” Maxine Rattner and Marney Thompson write, “While grief itself isn’t a mental-health condition, unsupported grief can turn into one, such as depression and suicidal thinking. And due to the circumstances of COVID, the risk is far higher that grief won’t be supported.” Andrea Warnick, an educator,
Read MoreHow do you infuse love in your organization?
02/13/2021
Several years ago I was inspired as I read writings from Stephen Post and Thomas Kitwood defining love in dementia care. “Love within the context of dementia care includes comfort in the original sense of tenderness, closeness, the calming of anxiety and bonding.” (Kitwood, 2003) “Altruistic love involves both a judgement of worth, and a
Read MoreAnd a time to cry….
02/10/2021
I wrote this reflection on Jan 31 ,2020, a year and a week after our son Geordie died, At this one year mark, I #GIVETHANKS for family, friends and colleagues who supported and encouraged us, buoyed us up, laughed and cried with us, mourned with us, and comforted us. They are all excellent examples
Read MoreSharing gifts
12/04/2020
Hello and welcome to December! In the past months, summer and camping came to an end and the 2nd wave of the COVID-19 pandemic flourished. We are being asked to commit once more to physically distancing ourselves from those outside of our households. This is a difficult time that we all share. Globally people are
Read MoreAddressing barriers to providing optimal end-of-life care
08/26/2020
Physicians providing care in the community and long term care (LTC) facilities in Alberta, Canada, were interviewed to determine what they perceived as barriers and facilitators to providing optimal end-of-life care.1 Among their concerns, they reported motivational barriers related to families, citing the family’s lack of knowledge about frailty, unrealistic care expectations and expressions of
Read More
