Life and Death Matters

On July 18th 2024, Judith Sayers invited Ted and I to Government House to witness the presentation of the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing those who have made significant contributions to Canada and their home province. The medal was presented by Janet Austin, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Judith, or Jude as I call her, is a friend from my days at UBC in the late 1970’s when I was in nursing and Jude was in Law. She was an incredible friend who helped me edit more than a few papers, and we shared many laughs and not enough adventures. Eventually we both settled on Vancouver Island - Jude in Port Alberni, and me outside of Victoria - and we raised our kids “together” across the miles, getting together for festivities, for naming and blessing of children, and other opportunities that arose. My kids had the blessing of growing up with Jude, Alana and Cole as part of our family and community. We are so proud of Jude and the work that she has done and continues to do for First Nation peoples – the work that she has done to help educate the larger community, and her patience in educating ME! “Cloy-e-iis, Dr. Judith Sayers Judith is a powerful advocate for First Nations rights within B.C., across Canada, and internationally. Judith is a bridge builder. She is a longtime champion of reconciliation between First Nations and Canada, putting First Nations rights at the forefront of her collaborative bridge building between First Nations, government, and industry. She is a trailblazer, leading the way for other First Nations to follow and making waves of change across sectors. She has been Chief, Professor, Chancellor (Vancouver Island University), lawyer and currently President of her nation’s Tribal council.” On Marney Thompson: I was excited to see that Marney Thompson was also receiving an award for her work in bereavement and counselling with Victoria Hospice and beyond. Wonderful that Janet Austen felt that it was important to include someone who is committed to hospice palliative care, and great for Marney and her work in Canada and beyond! “Marney Thompson is an international expert in grief and loss. A skilled educator and researcher, she sits on the Canadian Grief Alliance, working closely with the BC Centre for Palliative Care on the provincial bereavement action plan. She has co-authored numerous articles and the award-winning book Transitions in dying and bereavement: A psychosocial guide for hospice and palliative care. She shares her knowledge as a sought-after speaker with Canadian Virtual Hospice. Marney joined Victoria Hospice in 1994 as a community counsellor. She has worked on the unit, the Palliative Response Team, and now leads as Director, Bereavement Services.” We are incredibly proud of these two great people – their work, their contributions, their gifts to their families and to the larger communities - and honoured to be there to witness this event and take photos!

When I started my Masters in Thanatology, at Hood College in 2004, I was deeply grateful to read the book, “Continuing Bonds: New Understanding of Grief” by Klass, Silverman, Nickman. I resonated with their theory that grief is an ongoing journey of adaptation to life without a loved one. One way people choose to maintain a continuing bond with a loved one is through tangible objects. Tattoos have become increasingly popular as a form of memorialization. By immortalizing a loved one's name, a significant date, or a personal symbol on their skin, individuals create a permanent and visible representation of their bond. This can be a source of comfort and solace, providing a tangible connection to the deceased in a world that often feels devoid of their presence. Over the past few years, Dr.Susan Cadell has investigated the experience and meaning of tattoos that have a healing effect on their wearers. We are excited to have Susan present a webinar on this topic on Sept 10th, 4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific.

Our mourning processes have changed over time. But, who would've thought that they'd one day include robotic versions of the deceased? AI griefbots are made by taking information about the deceased person (like letters, photos, and social media content) to create a language model. They can be chat or video bots. Here are 3 of the ethical and psychological problems that arise with creating AI griefbots: 1️⃣ How often is a person expected to interact with the AI griefbot? Making the decision to turn off the AI griefbot could potentially make the person feel like a murderer. 2️⃣ Who owns the AI griefbot and its content? The companies who create these programs are technically leasing them out to survivors. 3️⃣ Will AI griefbots help or hurt the grieving process? Some people may find that it prevents them from moving on. Would you want an AI version of yourself to live on after you die? #AI #AIgriefbots #griefbots #AIghosts #ethics

This is an incredible opportunity from our colleagues at AWC Grief Support for a family with dependent children grieving the death of a parent. If you have a friend or colleague who might benefit from this camp, please share it. It might be the absolute perfect retreat. - About the Program: Andrea and Colleen from AWC Grief Support are thrilled to be providing the grief programming at this fall's Camp Alex in Portugal. This family bereavement retreat weekend is designed for families with dependent children who have experienced the death of a parent. It will take place on the beautiful site of Paco Da Gloria (pacodagloria.com) over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, October 11-13. The entire retreat, including all grief programming, will be held in English.

A cardiologist who has listened to thousands of hearts - reminding us of the importance of listening to our own heart - Perhaps that is one reason I love swimming in the ocean, sitting quietly in the garden looking at the colours and smelling the air, pondering and meditation... these are a few of the ways that I hear my heart. Looking forward to reading more from this lovely sounding book....

It's time for a reflective activity! ✍️ This activity is designed to help you understand what the process of appointing a substitute decision maker is like. 👇 1️⃣ Write reflectively about what is important to you as a person. 2️⃣ What values would you want your SDM to consider if you were unable to speak for yourself? 3️⃣ Who would you ask to be your SDM? For more reflective activities to share with your students, check out our textbooks here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gragveqR #palliativecare #selfreflect #careplan #death #dying

Help your students earn a National Certificate in Palliative Care! When your students complete the ten courses in our PACE for PSWs program, they'll earn a National Certificate in Palliative Care from: ☑️ The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association ☑️ Hospice Palliative Care Ontario ☑️ Life & Death Matters Your students can enroll in our online PACE for PSWs program here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dHC9zDY7 #psw #onlinelearning #palliativecare

There's so many unknowns when caring for a person who's dying with dementia. However, there is one thing that is known: the overall trajectory will be a decline. While there might be brief periods of improvement, share with the person's family that the overall trajectory will be a decline. For more actionable insights like these that you can share with your students, explore our resource library here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gragveqR #dementia #palliativecare #psw #nurse

Remember: with a palliative approach, family includes whoever the dying person identifies as family. 💙 "Family" could include the community, a partner, and other loved ones outside of a biological family. #palliativeapproach #palliativecare #chosenfamily

We have a tip for helping you provide culturally-safe care! 👇 ✅ When caring for First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous peoples, recognize that decision-making may involve the larger community. Read more tips for helping your students develop a culturally-safe practice in our textbooks HERE 👉 https://lnkd.in/gragveqR #palliativecare