By Christopher A. Klinger, PhD*; Holly Finn, PMP**; and Raza M. Mirza, PhD***
* National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE) and Pallium Canada
** Pallium Canada
*** Institute for Life Course and Aging, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Lecture Date: October 12, 2022; Publication Date: October 18, 2022
The National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly’s (NICE) End-of-Life Issues Theme Team, Pallium Canada, and the Institute for Life Course and Aging (ILCA) at the University of Toronto hosted the annual World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Special Lecture online on October 12, 2022.
Organized in connection with World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) as a unified day of action, the event highlighted the importance of the international hospice and palliative care movements with the aim of raising awareness and understanding toward the various medical, social, practical, and spiritual needs of people living with a life-limiting illness and their families/friends. WHPCD is organized by a committee of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) as a network of hospice and palliative care national and regional organizations.
On behalf of the Organizing Committee for the Special Lecture, Christopher A. Klinger, PhD of NICE and Pallium Canada opened the virtual session, welcoming this year’s distinguished speakers, and reminding the audience of the opportunities for the sectors as Canada moves ahead toward a Framework on Palliative Care and evolves as a leader within the compassionate communities movement.
Jeffrey B. Moat, CM — Chief Executive Officer of Pallium Canada — provided an update on recent Pallium Canada initiatives, including the highly successful Palliative Care ECHO Project. The Palliative Care ECHO Project is a national initiative that cultivates communities of practice and supports continuous professional development among health care providers across Canada who care for patients with life-limiting illness and their families. Since launching the Palliative Care ECHO Project in March 2021, Pallium and its Hub partners have delivered over 150 ECHO sessions, accounting for over 8,000 learner encounters and over 10,600 views of session recordings.
Professor Allan Kellehear — Clinical Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences within the University of Vermont in the United States of America and Co-Founder and Inaugural President of Public Health Palliative Care International — focused his keynote address on the public health approach to palliative care, integrating its theoretical and historical origins. With current developments in the field being promising, his remarks toward the future of the public health approach — including public health leadership obligations beyond the clinical agenda of palliative care in curriculum development, research, and policy making — brought the theme of the Day “Healing Hearts and Minds” to full circle.
On behalf of the host organizations, Esme Fuller-Thomson, PhD — Director of the ILCA — presented Professor Kellehear with a Certificate of Recognition – the actual framed award will be given to him in person at one of the next public health palliative care conferences following the COVID-19 pandemic.
A webcast of the Special Lecture is available for free via Pallium Canada’s YouTube channel here.
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