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Many palliative care programs have an integrated approach to delivering care across settings. For example, the Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Fraser Health regions provide palliative care across settings - in the community, hospices, and in-patient palliative care units. This approach allows patients to transition from one setting to another,... 

Often your initial step in this process is to pull together a group of staff who share a common interest in palliative care and are committed to improving the quality of care offered to the residents and families in your long-term care facility. It is best if this group includes representatives from the various disciplines or departments involved... 

Your first step is to consider the population you hope to serve and how you will respond to its needs. Many hospice initiatives arise because of the focus of special interest groups. For example, a group may have a disease focus (such as HIV and ALS), a cultural focus or a geographical focus. Decide your focus and set up a working group. Be... 

In palliative care the family is recognized as the ‘unit of care’ and bereavement care is believed to be an integral component of the care we provide. Therefore, our responsibility in developing a comprehensive palliative care program should include offering bereavement care to the family following the death. It is generally agreed that grief... 

Moral distress is a significant ethical concern for both individuals and organizations. Some describe it as “moral compromise,” or the undermining of an individual’s integrity following participation in and/or failure to stop an event that the individual considers to be a harmful or undignified practice.   Moral distress can arise when members...