Planning Early
There is a lack of understanding around the legal boundaries associated with designating a Power of Attorney and the responsibilities required to fulfill that role. As well, the authority allocated to the Power of Attorney, and the potential impact on the family unit, are also not well understood, especially when ...
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Seeking Human Updates
Types of Information Universally, the types of information sought by Distance Family Members were about well-being and status of living, rather than specific medical details. Distance Family Members spoke of wanting to know if their parent was able to get out of bed, to eat breakfast or if they were unable to eat due to ...
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Supporting care at the beginning and end of life
In August, Justine Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party, announced his plan to allow new parents to have more flexibility in accessing parental leave benefits. The new plan would allow the splitting up of benefits over a period of 18, rather than taking leave all at once. Although it is not clear how the plan would role ...
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Death: Denying to Discussing
The Medicalization of Dying In 2013, the Vanier Institute of the Family published a report titled “Death, Dying and Canadian Families,” which highlighted Canadians’ uncomfortable relationship death. This was underpinned by a number of historical contexts that led to the “medicalization of death and dying,” ...
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Talking about death over tea and coffee
Death Café In the fall of 2014, I was invited to attend the first Death Café (deathcafe.com) held in the west end of Toronto. I was mid-way through my masters’ research and was intrigued by the idea of people getting together to talk about death and dying—not in a healthcare environment—but in a café. Beyond my ...
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Communication Breakdown
Issues with communication was one of the most common themes shared by Distance Family Members. Due to the distance, information almost entirely flowed through other family members who were local, including the caregiver and siblings. Distance Family Members expressed frustration with the delay of information, as well as ...
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Palliative Care In Ontario
“Palliative care is aimed at relieving pain and suffering and improving the quality of life for people who are living with, or dying from, an advanced illness or are bereaved. Palliative care aims to meet not only physical need, but also the psychological, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs of each patient and ...
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