End-of-Life Communication Education
Transitioning to end-of-life care can be a difficult time for a resident and their family. Everyone has their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs around death and loss. Developing communication at end-of-life skills are crucial for LTC staff to foster therapeutic relationships with the residents and their families, increasing levels of comfort with hospice and palliative care philosophy.
Supported by funding from the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care at Bruyère collaborated with Algonquin College to create resources aimed at teaching personal support workers and other team members working in long-term care (LTC) about communication at end-of-life (CEoL).
The CEoL program offers bilingual education materials that provide LTC educators with tools for teaching palliative and end-of-life communication skills to team members by combining didactic, peer-to-peer, and scenario-based learning. A variety of resources have been created surrounding communication at end-of-life, including Facilitators Guide, PowerPoint Modules, webinar, an article from AdvantAge Ontario’s Action Update, information packages, and an FAQ. See below for links to these items.
The CEoL program is delivered over the course of two days and covers three modules:
- Module One: Introduces participants to what palliative care and their roles in end-of-life care
- Module Two: Participants think about their own thoughts, feelings and beliefs about death, dying, aging and loss
- Module Three: Participants gain comfort, awareness and skills in developing and sustaining therapeutic relationships with residents and their families.
Summary Learning Documents
Palliative Care vs. End-of-Life Care (.pdf)
Related Learning Materials
Learning Materials
Educational resources developed collaboratively by Algonquin College and the Ontario Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care at Bruyère.
eLearning Modules
The course, offered in three modules is designed to refresh or develop team members’ communication skills to provide quality end-of-life and palliative care in long term care homes. The modules include interactive case scenarios that reflect the unique setting and context of care delivery in long-term care homes.
Webinar
Presented by Ruth Richardson, Hospice Palliative Care Nurse Educator at Algonquin College, this webinar recording helps with understanding the hospice palliative care approach to inform communication at end-of-life in long-term care.
Mini Webinar Series
The Ontario CLRI at Bruyére in collaboration with Algonquin College offered Ripples of Thoughtful Words, a series of six, 20-minute webinars to support and facilitate communication at end-of-life. The recordings and related materials are available for free.
Communication at End-of-Life Education Fund
At varying times, the Ontario Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Long-Term Care commission the Ontario Centre for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) at Bruyère to facilitate the Communication at End-of-Life Education Fund for Long-Term Care (CEoL Fund).
The CEoL Fund provides wage support and travel assistance for long-term care homes to participate in one or two waves of the fund, purposely named, wave 1 and wave 2.
WAVE 1: Train-the Trainer
Through a train-the-trainer model, the Ontario CLRI gathers long-term care home educators to provide them with a full understanding of the CEoL program and palliative care knowledge.
The CEoL Fund provides wage support and travel assistance for educators to attend workshops.
WAVE 2: In-Home Education
The trainers who completed Wave 1 take what they have learned to teach PSWs and other team members in their own long-term care home.
The CEoL Fund provides wage support for the educator(s) and the personal support workers attending the in-house workshop.
Sign-up to the Ontario CLRI’s monthly newsletter to learn about funding announcements for the CEoL Fund.
The CEoL training program was developed in partnership between the Ontario CLRI at Bruyère and Algonquin College.
