Student Practicum Training

NOHS is committed to training the next generation of people to provide expert hospice palliative care. We provide opportunities for Medical, Nursing, Social Work, Registered Health Care Aides and other academic students to pursue palliative care practicum training with us.

To find out more information about a palliative practicum experience, please email [email protected].

 

Webinars

NOHS is committed to developing staff and exporting education programs to caregivers, health care professionals and the public to facilitate better outcomes for clients and their families. This is done by offering two series of webinars each year. One is the Research to Practice Webinar Series offered proudly in partnership with the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at UBC Okanagan. This is a free, educational seminars to the public on a variety of topics relating to hospice palliative care. The second is specifically tailored to Health Care Professionals working in End of Life Care. Here we share our in house hospice palliative care expertise with professionals who are interesting in earning Continuing Education Points. There is a nominal fee for these webinars.

Research to Practice Seminar Series

In 2012, NOHS partnered with the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention at UBC Okanagan to deliver free, educational seminars to the public on a variety of topics relating to hospice palliative care. These sessions are facilitated by Canadian researchers and stakeholders and are offered 4 times per year. Since we provide an opportunity for people to join online or by teleconference, as well as in person at UBC Okanagan, the audience for these seminars is typically diverse and includes Hospice staff, university students and faculty, Health Authority staff, health care professionals, caregivers, and interested community members – sometimes from across the country.

Upcoming Webinar:

October 17, 2023, 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST

Building palliative care capacity by engaging generalist providers and patients and families by Dr. Hsien Seow, Professor, McMaster University; Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation

Upcoming Event

NOHS is proud to announce that Clara Dyck, our Education and Resource Leader, will be a Panelist at the “Care to Chat: From Long-Term Care to Lasting Comfort” event on November 2^nd, 2023 at the Civic Hotel in Surrey, BC.

This discussion is presented by the BC Care Providers Association as we collectively work toward improving the quality of life for those receiving palliative care in long-term care homes.

Panelists will delve into the obstacles and challenges, simultaneously highlighting innovative strategies to enhance the quality of palliative care provided within long-term care homes.

For more information and to register for this event, please follow this link – Care to Chat: From Long-Term Care to Lasting Comfort – BC Care Providers Association

Thank you,

Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care (SPA LTC)

Did you know NOHS shares our experience and expertise with our community? This is just one component of our research with McMaster University and Strengthening A Palliative Approach to Long Term Care in BC!

A palliative approach in long-term care (LTC) empowers families and staff to provide personalized and high-quality care for LTC residents living with chronic and life-limiting illnesses. This approach provides individuals with a seamless transition from chronic disease management to appropriate end-of-life planning and care. We believe palliative approach is beneficial at any stage in a chronic illness to maximize comfort and respect a person’s wishes. Working alongside health professionals and family members, individuals with a life-limiting or life-ending illness are involved throughout the illness trajectory. Care is rooted in open and honest conversations so that the personal, spiritual and emotional concerns of residents are heard and addressed.

At NOHS, we believe this model works. We have partnered with SPA-LTC McMaster University to help roll out this program to residents of BC’s LTC homes.

Our Education and Resource Leader, Clara Dyck, is the McMaster University Research Partner in British Columbia. She has completed the Situational Analysis (via survey) of the state of Palliative care in LTC homes in BC. From this Survey, stakeholders were identified for follow up Interviews. These stakeholders shared 5 key recommendations.

1. Build confidence and competence at the organization, team and individual level. Through resources, mentoring and e-learning
2. Embed tools to Enable Support for Staff delivering a palliative approach to care
3. Adopt tools and approach to Meeting Residents & Families needs
4. Dedicate time for staff to be part of a Palliative Champion Team
5. Embed a strength-based approach to create Shift in Practice

Using these 5 recommendations, Clara is working with individual LTC homes to strengthen the palliative approach to care their homes. What the SPA-LTC program looks like in in your Long Term care home is as unique as your Long Term Care home is! Implementation of this program could look like the following: a focus on resident/family teaching, Goals of care conversations on admission, resident and family meetings, comfort care rounds, developing a Palliative Champion team or even extra palliative education for staff.  The goal is not to ADD extra work for LTC homes but to SHIFT practice, use strengths the Long Term Care home already has and embed palliative tools or approaches.

To learn more about SPA-LTC program or to have this program in your LTC home or place of work please contact Clara at [email protected], 250-503-1800 ext. 104

SPA-LTC Toolkit

SPA-LTC Toolkit

 

 Current Partners:

• Optima Living:
• The Hamlets in Vernon
• The Hamlets at Duncan
• The Hamlets at Penticton
• The Hamlets at Westsyde
• The Evergreen Hamlets at Fleetwood (Surrey)