A recent research study by Khan et al (2021)1, sought to determine whether there were positive changes in palliative end of life care, as measured by validated quality indicators, for people dying of cancer in three Canadian provinces over a 12-year period. The study included 376,108 patients who died from Continue reading →

Complementary therapies are increasingly being offered by hospices to end-of-life clients.  A recent literature review sought to better understand the implementation and outcomes of complementary therapy as a component of hospice care.  Studies examining music therapy, biofield therapies, massage therapy, aromatherapy, guided meditation, and relaxation were included.  Most studies demonstrated Continue reading →

Therapeutic applications of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare have grown over the past 20 years. A 2021 study by Lloyd and Haraldsdottir explored the use of VR for people with life-limiting conditions in a hospice setting. The findings suggest that VR can be beneficial in hospice settings by helping to Continue reading →

November 1st, 2021 is the inaugural World Compassionate Communities Day! Compassionate Communities focus on whole person care to benefit patients, caregivers, and health care systems. This enhances access to care and strengthens communities’ ability to connect, inform, and protect seniors, people with chronic and advanced disease and their caregivers. During Continue reading →

Many health care professionals provide supportive end of life care to older adult residents in long term care (LTC) facilities.  Canadian authors Harasym et al. (2021) aimed to identify and understand what strategies may be needed to optimize supportive end of life care in Canadian LTC facilities.  The two-phase study Continue reading →

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on healthcare. Nurses in particular, are under significant stress. As a result, some are considering leaving their overwhelming and stressful hospital work environments. In comparison to hospitals, a career in hospice can offer nurses more manageable workloads, more comfortable working environment, and Continue reading →

The first step to meaningful change is knowing what works and what doesn’t. To do so, metrics platforms use specific indicators and data points to measure and assess the overall quality of care. The process of quantifying and comparing aspects of the healthcare system can indicate what strategies are working Continue reading →

Because of COVID-19 many end-of-life care that were previously mainly available in a hospital setting can be provided through a home or community-based care model. These unexpected and widespread changes prompted Health Canada to publish a report outlining some of the barriers faces by palliative care clinicians and organizations during Continue reading →