Palliative Care

"Care that aims to relieve suffering and improve the quality of living and dying."

Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, 2005

A survey by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association shows that a majority of Canadians choose to die at home. This is reflected in the rapid growth in the demand for palliative care services. Canadians report that in some cases their needs for palliative care are not being met, that there are discrepancies in their perceptions between what the patient receives in palliative care and what the family considers adequate. In response to these concerns, We Care™ has expanded its training program for palliative care. This program is designed to train caregivers to better meet the needs both of Canadian families who are facing the loss of a loved one, and of the institutions and agencies serving these families.

The Palliative Care Team at We Care™
At We Care™, the members of the palliative care service team are selected in such a way that our clients are served by staff who have special gifts. They are individuals who are able to sensitively bring comfort and compassion to both the client and the family. We Care™ chooses caregivers who have:

Strong attraction to the challenging field
of palliative care.
The special characteristics of sensitivity, compassion, empathy and understanding.
Ability to respond quickly to the unplanned nature of palliative care assignments.
Availability to benefit from wecare™'s on-going program of continuous improvement including semi-annual.

The Team Leader, a Nursing Care Manager, brings valuable skills to the palliative care service team. This role is to:

Be an advocate for client, family and team.
Collaborate with the client and service provider team to develop an outcome-based service plan.
Deliver cost-effective services within prescribed benefit packages.
Select, educate and supervise the We Care™ team.
Coordinate the services provided by We Care™, the family and other health care professionals.

Skill Development Program
We Care™ trains its nursing and personal care staff through this skill development program in 11 modules.

Death in Canadian Society
Provides insights into personal experiences, beliefs and perceptions about dying and how these are reflected in our everyday lives. Sensitizes caregivers to the realities of death and dying.

Stages of Death and Dying
Describes the individual and unique ways that people approach their last days.

Patho-physiology of Cancer
Reviews the different types of cancer and the most recent methods of treatment.

Pain Management
Teaches the principles of pain control, and the categories of medications available to promote different levels of pain relief in a timely manner.

Symptom Control
Reviews the latest clinical approaches for quick and effective management of symptoms.

Communication Skills
Coaches caregivers on the importance of open and sensitive interactions to build effective communication between clients, families and members of the care team.

Ethics
Provides an understanding of the end-of-life ethical issues encountered by clients and their families.

Outcome-based care
Focuses on providing the right care at the right time by the right service provider in the right place.

Complementary Therapies
Offers insights into a variety of alternative treatments.

Paediatric Palliative Care
Provides an in-depth understanding of the special issues faced by families caring for a seriously ill child.

Grief and Bereavement
Explores typical and atypical reactions as well as common misconceptions about grieving.