Palliative Education Evening Presentations
Spring 2025 – March 25th
Guest Presentation
Improving Palliative Care: The Implementation of the Model of Care for Adults in the Community
Ellen Cronin-Irwin, RN BScN Med, Palliative Care Clinical Coach
The Provincial Palliative Care Program’s Health Services Delivery Framework (HSDF) outlines three Models of Care aimed at enhancing palliative care in Ontario. The first Model of Care focuses on adults receiving care in the community and provides 13 detailed recommendations on how care should be organized and delivered at the team level. To support the implementation of these, Clinical Coaches have been put in place across the province to collaborate with community organizations, leading quality improvement and practice change.
Adult Clinical Breakout
Understanding Palliative Sedation Therapy (PST) and MAiD: Ethical Considerations and Compassionate Choices
Deborah Robinson MD MSc. CCFP (PC) FCFP, MAiD Assessor
Adult General Breakout
How to keep dancing as you provide care in the midst of Suffering: The Art of Resilient Presence
Charles Skeete, MSW RSW MTS BCC CCAC NPSA CCTP II
If you are a health care provider, caregiver, volunteer, educator, or friend providing care to a loved-one/patient who is living with a life-threatening illness, then this is for you. Caregiving can be an important but demanding experience. How do you show-up in the midst of such suffering, day after day? This seminar will teach you how to dance in the midst of suffering. How to move from languishing towards flourishing.
Pediatric Breakout:
“I can’t imagine it not being a part of our life”: The role of Pediatric Hospice facilities in comprehensive regional pediatric palliative care
Dave Lysecki, MD, FRCPC (Peds, Peds Heme/Onc, Pall Med)
Pediatric hospices have cemented themselves as critical infrastructure for delivery of high-quality pediatric palliative care and regional level. In preparation for the impending build of a pediatric hospice facility in Southcentral Ontario, we will review the rationale for, role, and benefits of pediatric hospice facilities and explore opportunities for collaboration.
Fall – October 10, 2024
Presentation:
Unearthing Hidden Gems: Digging into how Canadian Virtual Hospice can support your practice
Shelly Cory, Executive Director, Canadian Virtual Hospice
Join Canadian Virtual Hospice, Executive Director, Shelly Cory for an exploration of the 12 online platforms and hundreds of resources CVH has co-designed to support you and your practice. Shelly will share insights and stories from her 18 years leading the evolution of CVH and will provide sneak peeks of new platforms and resources coming soon.
Spring – March 21, 2024
Presentation:
Helping Patients Face a Serious Illness: 7 Keys to Improve the Patient and Provider Experience
Dr. Samantha Winemaker, MD & Dr. Hsien Seow, PhD
7 Keys to make it easier to talk about serious illness, dying, and death. Drs. Winemaker and Seow are authors of the new book ‘Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest’ and co-hosts of the podcast ‘The Waiting Room Revolution,’ which are designed to make a palliative care approach accessible to all patients and families. Based on researching and caring for thousands of patients, they will share 7 keys that can activate patients, families, and providers to have a better illness journey. They will discuss how providers can use the 7 keys to be more proactive and less crisis-driven, by working more upstream and patient-facing.
Fall – September 27, 2023
Presentation
Dignity and Intensive Caring: The Human Side of Palliative Care
Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD, FRCPC, Distinguished Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba
This talk will provide an overview of how understanding dignity can inform person-centred palliative care. Various empirically based tools will be outlined, which have been shown to enhance end-of-life experience for patients and their families; while also improving healthcare provider job satisfaction for those employing dignity-conserving strategies. The construct of Intensive Caring will also be reviewed, offering clinicians ways of understanding, being with and responding to the enormity of human suffering.
Spring – March 21, 2023
Keynote Address:
A Strained Healthcare System: Leveraging Systems Thinking, Ownership, and Quality Improvement to Improve Palliative Care AccessDr. José Pereira, Professor Catedratico, Faculty of Medicine, University of Navarra, Spain; Professor, Division of Palliative Care, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University; Cofounder/Scientific Advisor, Pallium Canada
Access to palliative care across Canada is best described as a patchwork, with areas of excellence and opportunities for improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted areas for improvement and an opportunity to redesign. It has emphasized the need for systems thinking and that palliative care is everyone’s responsibility. This presentation will explore these topics, drawing on examples in the Waterloo Wellington area and elsewhere.
Adult Clinical Presentation
An Introduction to the Serious Illness Conversation Guide
Rachael Halligan, MD, CCFP, FCFP
This presentation will provide participants with:
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- an understanding of the need for and rationale for a systematic approach to improving conversations about patient values, priorities and goals while living with serious illness.
- a brief overview of the structure and components of the Serious Illness Guide
- an eagerness to learn more about the role each of us can play in providing “more, better and earlier conversations” with those living with serious illness.
Adult General Presentation
The Basics of Palliative Spiritual Care
Gord Alton, Div RP Supervisor-Educator (CASC); Spiritual Care Provider, Lisaard & Innisfree Hospice and HCCSS.
In the ministry of palliative care, many clients/patients struggle with conflicting thoughts, feelings, and longings related to their illness and the reality of dying. Spiritual care involves creating a safe place where these soul dynamics can be explored, bringing about understanding, comfort, and inner peace. This presentation will explore how we can develop a safe therapeutic relationship with the people we visit so that we can help clients find meaning and hope, hold their anxieties and fears, and explore their feelings in a non-judgemental way. As we do so, this allows for greater understanding and the dynamics of the sacred to emerge in our client’s experience.
Pediatric Presentation
Grief and Children: Tips and Tricks for Providers
Gregorio Zúñiga, Assistant Professor, Div.Pediatric Palliative Medicine, McMaster University
This presentation will cover how children and parents grieve the loss of a child. We will explore practical approaches and how to support them before, during and after death.
Fall – September 8, 2022 – Rooted in Wisdom: Bending not Breaking
Keynote Address:
Aboriginal Perspectives on the Stages of Life
Clarence Cachagee, Founder, Crow Shield Lodge, www.crowshieldlodge.com/
Presentations
Music Therapy in the Transitional Space Between Life and Death
Lydia Penner, Counsellor & Music Therapist
Hospice Waterloo Region
Micro-Approaches to Self-Care
Trish Heyes
Client Services Lead
Hospice Wellington
Spring – March 24, 2020
Conference Cancelled due to COVID-19
Fall – November 20, 2019
Presentation
Managing Change in Turbulent Times
Dr. Nick Bontis
Award-Winning Professor of Strategy
McMaster University
www.NickBontis.com
Spring – March 20, 2019
Presentations
Safe Use of Opioids
Andrea Furlan, MD, PhD, Physiatry
Institute for Work & Health
Supporting Children Experiencing the Death of a Loved One
Dave Lysecki, MD, FRCPC
Tracy Akitt, Certified Child Life Specialist
McMaster Children’s Hospital
Palliative Care in Homeless and Vulnerable Populations: Relationship-Based Nursing Care
Karen Simpson, NP
Fall – November 22, 2018
Presentations
The Power of Kindness in Palliative Care
Dr. Brian Goldman, MD
doctorbriangoldman.com
Spring – March 8, 2018
Presentations
Navigating Challenging Conversations
Dr. Jeff Myers, MD, MSEd, CCFP(PC)
Sinai Health System
Paediatric Palliative Care: You can care for these patients; Project ECHO can help!
Dr. Adam Rapoport, MD, FRCP(C), MHSc
The Hospital for Sick Children
Approach to Advanced Heart Failure at End of Life
Dr. Leah Steinberg, MD, MA, CFC
Sinai Health System
Navigating Challenging Conversations: Practical Applications
Dr. Jeff Myers, MD, MSEd, CCFP(PC)
Sinai Health System
Fall – November 22, 2017
Presentations
Cannabinoid Therapies: What’s all the Buzz About?
Dr. Vincent Maida
vincent.maida@utoronto.ca
http://www.vincentmaida.com; http://drvincentmaida.wordpress.com
Article: A User’s Guide to Cannabinoid Therapies in Oncology
Grief Matters
Rachelle McGuire, MA CT
Kemp Hospice
Spring – March 23, 2017
Presentations
The Problem with Polysemy
Joshua Shadd, MD, MClSc, CCFP
Palliative Care Physician, Hamilton Health Sciences; Director, Division of Palliative Care; Asst. Professor, Dept. of Family Medicine
Hamilton Health Sciences
MAID and the Waterloo Wellington Response
Waterloo Wellington Regional MAID Working Group
Waterloo Wellington Response
Palliative Care for the LGBTQ Community
Cait Glasson, SPECTRUM’s Aging with Pride Committee; Barb Jones, RSW MSW, Clinical Social Worker, Hospice of Waterloo Region
Spectrum
Pediatric Palliative Care: An Inpatient Oncology Perspective
Paula MacDonald, BScPhm
Clinical Pharmacist, Paediatrics Hematology/Oncology
McMaster Children’s Hospital
November 17, 2016 – Late-Stage Dementia: Providing Comfort, Compassion and Care – New Dimensions
Presentation
Dr. Michael Gordon
Geriatrician, Ethicist, Educator, Speaker, Author
https://www.drmichaelgordon.ca/
