The Saskatchewan Hospice Palliative Care Association (SHPCA) is debuting a new informative workshop in Moose Jaw on Feb. 4 at the Salvation Army Church (2 Wintergreen Drive), focusing on the questions that families have about accessing palliative or hospice care.
The workshop, titled Family Led Care: Involving Family in End of Life Care, will feature presentations from medical social worker Carla Mitchell and Sandy Mahon, registrar with Funeral & Cremation Services Council of Saskatchewan.
“What we're hoping to do is to provide community-based education throughout the province and one of the ways we're doing that is by having these roadshow events,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell will talk about the family role in requesting palliative care, from having the conversation with loved ones and medical professionals to what services and supports are available, and how to be an advocate for your loved one’s wishes.
“The first presentation that I'll be providing is to focus on helping family members understand the impact that death has on a family unit,” said Mitchell. “[My hope is] that families come away with it with an idea of maybe what to expect at the end of life, but also what kind of resources are out there to help them with that really difficult time.”
Mahon will then follow with a presentation detailing the process that follows a loved one’s passing and the rights of families during the funeral planning process.
“Sandy's presentation will focus on how family members can be involved in caring for their loved ones once they have passed away,” said Mitchell. “Also, what the legal rights of families are in terms of funeral planning and what they can do on their own and what they can do working in conjunction with funeral homes.”
Following the presentations, attendees are welcomed to take part in a Death Café in the afternoon, an unmoderated conversation for people to discuss their experiences with death.
“The goal of [the Death Café] really is to open a conversation about death and raise awareness by discussing things that sometimes are taboo to talk about in our daily lives,” said Mitchell.
The workshop in Moose Jaw is the first roadshow event hosted by the SHPCA, and Mitchell hopes the event will be able to answer questions about palliative care for both families and medical professionals.
“I think it's a good presentation for really anybody that's wanting to learn more,” said Mitchell. “At some point or another, all of us end up in the shoes of having to, unfortunately, be part of that process with family members, and I think it's beneficial to all.”
Attendees have until Feb. 1 to register for the event by emailing info@saskpalliativecare.org, as lunch and snacks will be provided throughout the day. The workshop will also be collecting a $5 fee at the door on the day of the event.
