"There's kind of a magical quality with music, a healing or a support really that comes from the music. As long as people have been around, we have been making music and it really does connect with us on an emotional level." - Sheila Killoran Sheila Killoran is the Education Lead for the Covenant Health Palliative Institute. She is a certified music therapist and holds a Master's in Creative Arts Therapies with an interest in guided imagery and grief. Sheila teaches at the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan, and has provided music therapy for the past 20 years in Palliati ..read more

"Sometimes people can really shut down and the horses can get in there and reach in and welcome them back to being present. The horses are gifted. It's all them." Jennifer Semach is the founding Executive Director and program facilitator of Walkabout Farm Therapeutic Riding Association, a charitable organization in Minden, Ontario that offers free mental and physical health services on 100 acres of land with the help of therapeutic support animals: horses, cats, and rabbits. She also brings miniature horses to visit residents and their families in long-term care. Equine therapy promotes the p ..read more

"You don't know what's going wrong. And you have all these theories, but it's a long time before dementia is one of the hypotheses..." Fay Martin is a retired social worker who lives in Haliburton County, a small rural community in Ontario. She cared for her husband, who had dementia, until his death in 202. He died with - but not of - dementia, sparing them the ravages of the later stages of that disease. Nevertheless, it knocked their lives sideways.  Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca ..read more

What is person-centered care and how does it contribute to a 'good' death? We spoke with Kristen Lew-Byrne, a registered social worker who talked to us about patient-centered care, and how social workers work with team members, residents and families to help achieve a good death means for each individual. Kristen Lew-Byrne  is a registered social worker who has worked alongside and supported residents and their families within long-term care for 11 years. She works from a holistic person-centered approach, which consists of intersecting psychosocial pieces and needs. Kristen is passionat ..read more

"Nurse Practitioners are well positioned to help residents and families navigate their life limiting illness. We have the knowledge and skillset to provide their primary medical care, their maintenance therapies, and the treatment of chronic illness flareups. I think the value add is that we can also integrate this approach and philosophy throughout the continuum of care." Nurse Practitioners play a significant role in long-term care, but many homes do not have one on the team. We spoke with Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Burgess about the role and how NPs can support other team members by model ..read more

"I think a lot of people, when you say the word palliative, they think the end of life is imminent. And that's not the case at all. These are conversations that should be starting to happen on move in or even before move-in." Sarah Murphy is a licensed practical nurse and the assistant director of care at The Hamlet's long-term care community in Vernon, British Columbia. She has been working long-term care for eight years and has served as a Care Service Lead,  Care Coordinator, and now the Assistant Director of Care. In this episode, we spoke with Sarah about the benefits and drawbacks ..read more

How do we support the elderly and their loved ones as they transition through the phases of end of life? Registered Nurse Ryan Collins talks with us about how the Palliative Performance Scale tool and courses through the SPA-LTC program have helped him adapt care strategies for long-term care residents to ensure that they get the care that's right for them. Ryan Collins is a registered nurse and palliative care champion at a long-term care facility in St. John, New Brunswick. Along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Nursing, Ryan has experience working in acute ..read more

Dr. Melanie Leger is a palliative care physician in Moncton, New Brunswick. She recently developed standardized templates for order sets in palliative, to help guide community and long-term care health professionals as they review and update palliative protocols. The templates also increase efficiency by adding medication quantities and refill orders that can double as a prescription. "Some of our nursing homes had order sets, but some didn't. This project made me realize that some of these order sets were sometimes dated. It made me think that having it reviewed by palliative care specialist ..read more

How do we address the issues of health equity when jurisdictional issues create a gap between two systems of care? We spoke with Holly Prince about the barriers to care for Indigenous peoples, and the importance of equitable access to palliative care within Indigenous communities. Holly Prince is an Anishinaabekwe  and a member of Opwaaganisiniing  in Northwestern Ontario. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work and is a Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Studies at Lakehead University. Holly’s research focus is on decolonial and Indigenous education and health, and community-based res ..read more

A Green Care farm is a combination of agricultural activities and a population that could benefit from time in the outdoors. Green Care Farms CEO and Founder Rebekah Churchyard provides outdoor day programs for people with dementia, connecting them with nature on a farm in Milton, Ontario. The program includes planning and planting sensory gardens, and growing food for the local food. She says that research shows that these types of programs can result in a delay in admission to long-term care, while building psycho-social wellbeing. Rebekah holds a Master of Social Work in Gerontology, and w ..read more