11/11/2022
Ted and I travelled this past June to the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge in Northern France and the Flanders Museum in Ypres in Belgium. It was a special trip, as both of our grandfathers fought in the world wars of the 20th century. My grandfather fought in the Battle of Ypres in World War
Read More11/07/2022
Ontario developed the “Fixing Long-Term Care Act” in response to the crisis in long-term care (LTC) that occurred during COVID. They promise to enforce adherence. However, the crisis in LTC in Ontario is not unique – LTC facilities across the country are struggling (Ontario, 2021). A palliative approach in LTC is cited as a key
Read More10/17/2022
Changes to medical orders at end-of-life are essential to supporting the person’s comfort through dying.
Read More10/03/2022
Personal Support Workers (PSWs)1 are the caregivers with the most contact time with the person and family – and are informally acknowledged as “the eyes and ears of the health care team.” In this role, PSWs are most likely to be asked to talk with family about their loved one’s dying and death. When PSWs
Read More09/07/2022
“I must define the course in a way more engaging than engorging, countering my tendency to inundate students with data, and allowing them instead to encounter the subject, each other, and themselves. “I must provide readings with substance that students need to know, but with gaps in which students can think their own thoughts –
Read More09/07/2022
“It’s not being dead, but the dying that I fear.”
Read More08/12/2022
I look forward to summer for many months, and yet, it seems to fly by so quickly, and I lose my focus on reflecting and building self-awareness!
Read More06/16/2022
Moving a loved one to a long-term care (LTC) facility can be stressful and difficult for all involved. Family may struggle to acknowledge they can no longer meet the person’s care needs, and that the person’s health will continue to decline. For a person who identifies as LGBTQ, and their family, there are added concerns,
Read More02/24/2022
A reflection by Michelle O’Rourke: In January, Kath Murray and I met with PSWs from across Canada in a small webinar. Our hope was to create space to “Reconnect and Refresh,” and to talk about how folks were faring after almost two years of living and working during a global pandemic. We wanted to offer
Read More11/05/2021
Join me on Dec 7th to meet with Olivia Tischler, a social worker, counsellor, passionate about supporting people in their grief.
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