Education & Awareness

Palliative care aims to address physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and clinical needs of a person with a life-limiting illness. Our hospice services aim to educate patients, families, caregivers, and health service providers about the benefits of a holistic approach to care.

For Patients, Families and Caregivers

Our hospice services are able to provide education to patients, families, and caregivers on how the palliative care approach can support them at home. This may include suggestions for home management, self-care strategies, what to expect during disease progression, options for the types of in home services they may qualify for, and what to expect when having a death at home.

For Health Service Providers

We offer education sessions for interested health service providers on how the palliative approach can support their practice, establishing a substitute decision maker, and how to start discussions for advanced care planning.

Ethics Education for CCN Volunteers

Click HERE to see the slides presented in our recent education on:

“Volunteer boundaries and behaviors: In practice and on social media”

Presented By: Joshua T. Landry, Director and Ethicist, the Central East Regional Ethics Network (CEREN).

More Information: ethics@centraleastethics.ca or visit: https://centraleastethics.ca

WHAT IS ETHICS IN HEALTH AND SUPPORTIVE CARE SETTINGS?

Ethics involves helping clients/residents, families, and those who work in health and supportive care settings when they are facing difficult moral or value-based choices about the right or best course of action. The goal of discussing ethical issues is not to impose values on others, but to help individuals and groups in solving complex problems so they are able to make informed decisions about treatment or care.

Topics in health and supportive care that might present an ethical challenge could include:

Value differences and conflicts
Wait-list concerns
End-of-life decision-making
Allocation of resources

WHAT IS AN ETHICIST & HOW CAN THEY HELP ME?

All Community Care Northumberland (CCN) clients/residents, their families, staff and volunteers have access to an external Ethicist. The Ethicist is a resource person with advanced training in ethics, who can help clarify ethical issues, offer different perspectives, review options, and assist clients/residents, families, and care teams with decision-making.

WHAT WILL THE ETHICIST DO?

Provide confidential consultation
Ensure all relevant facts, values and options are explored
Help people understand and explore available treatment or care options
Identify and provide information to help people make decisions about ethical issues
Mediate to assist individuals and/or groups when there is a difference of opinion about a particular patient care situation
Provide education to clients/residents, families, and professionals on ethical issues that may arise

ARE THERE ANY OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO HELP ME MAKE A DECISION?

At CCN, we have an Integrated Ethics Framework to assist clients/residents, families, staff and volunteers make ethical decisions, and deal with difficult ethical dilemmas. To access our Integrated Ethics Framework, centraleastethics.ca.

If you would like to speak with the CCN Ethicist, e-mail: ethics@commcare.ca