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Because your voice matters.

Working Group Member, Making Decisions about Life and Care – Residential Care

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Open to Fraser – Vancouver Coastal, Patient partners in the Lower Mainland

Last updated

Do you value meaningful conversations to ensure that the wishes and preferences of residents and their family members are being respected in the care setting? If so, this project is for you!

Open to: Patient partners in the Lower Mainland

Lead Organization or Department

Providence Health Care - Residential Care

Aim

A small working group will meet to review the current resources available for residents and their family members around making health care decisions. Examples of these decisions would include where care may be provided in the future and what type of care would be provided based on the resident’s goals/wishes; for example, "does the resident want CPR?" The working group will determine what information is most valuable for residents/families to understand about making health care decisions and identify questions that are important for residents/families to consider before having goals of care conversations with the health care team. The goal will be to publish a brochure which will be available online and in written format for residents/families. The patient partners will be involved in researching current resources and creating/editing the language in a new brochure.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will involve patients in planning and design phases to ensure ideas or concerns are considered and reflected in alternatives and recommendations.

Eligibility

  • Familiarity with residential care community is an asset
  • Comfort around talking about end of life
  • Experience collaborating with small groups
  • Proficient with reading and writing in English
  • Access to email for proof-reading/editing is strongly recommended
If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Volunteer Agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact Karen Estrin directly.

Logistics

  • Vacancies: 2-3
  • Meetings will take place on-site within Providence Health Care, Residential Care sites. Depending on availability of rooms, meetings will be held near 33rd & Heather at either Youville Residence or Brock Fahrni Residence.
  • Patient/Family partners can attend via teleconference but in-person is strongly recommended.
  • Meeting dates and times will be flexible between 8am and 4pm from Monday to Friday, for intervals of one to  two hours.

Reimbursement

Preapproved expenses related to local travel (i.e. transit, parking up to $18/day, approved mileage) to attend in person meetings will be reimbursed by Providence Health Care. For patient partners with reduced mobility, taxi services may be approved.

Background

Providence Health Care (PHC) has an Options of Care form which is signed on admission/move-in to any PHC facility by the Patient/Resident or Temporary Substitute Decision Maker (TSDM) if the resident is not capable. These are more commonly known as "Do Not Attempt Resuscitation" (DNAR) orders. The PHC Options of Care form was recently modified for residential care. The corresponding health care pamphlet for residents/families, called "Making Decisions About Life and Care", is now out of date and does not reflect the current 'Options of Care' form used in residential care. Our goal is to complete a booklet that will be provided to people we serve with background information and questions to consider before having goals of care conversations with health care providers. The working group will be made up of patient partners, clinical analyst, palliative care nurse, social worker, and physician.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Karen Estrin
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Lower Mainland & Sunshine Coast
604.668.8245
kestrin@bcpsqc.ca

From Our Community

Shana Ooms

Executive Director of Primary Care Strategy, Policy and Quality — BC Ministry of Health

Shana Ooms

Where those of us in the room may have debated policy or wording, patient voices made sure patients were top of mind. And as a result, significant improvements were made to simplify something that was otherwise complex. Patient voices at the table bring us back to reality in terms of what we are trying to achieve.