May 5-11 is Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Week. Hospice Palliative Care is whole-person health care that aims to relieve suffering and improve the quality of living and dying. The palliative approach focuses on the person and family, and on their quality of life throughout a life-limiting illness, not just at the end of life. Living well until death, is the goal of care.
The Sunrise Health Region staff members provide Palliative Care in a variety of settings throughout the region, from a patient's home or long-term care facility, to hospitals. Several of the rural hospitals have dedicated Palliative Care rooms where families have the ability to stay comfortably around the clock, utilizing small kitchenettes and beds/pullouts. Many clients, families and volunteer group donations help to purchase much needed equipment and items and to assist health care providers to attend educational events in palliative care.
Palliative Care nurses Kim Rutzki, Roxane Brown-Rayner and Charlene Malayney provide comprehensive and coordinated care by working closely with physicians and other health care providers so that terminally ill clients and their families receive the highest quality of care.
The Regional Palliative Care Committee works behind the scenes developing policies and procedures, providing direction for the program, promoting and assisting with educational needs of health care providers and dedicated palliative care volunteers.
The demands for hospice palliative care continue to grow as people become more aware of the benefits of the service. The goal of the Sunrise Health Region is to raise awareness that palliative care is available to assist people. The region's webpage contains information about the types of services available and contact information. Requests can also be made through your physician or nurse practitioner.
