BC Hospice Palliative Care Association acts as the collective voice in BC and Yukon in working with our members and municipal, provincial and territorial elected officials. In the past we have worked with members of the BC provincial government to develop a strategy and action plan for End-of-Life Care, hosted elected officials at Legislative Breakfasts and discussed issues such as per diem fees with MLAs.
If there are issues that you feel we should get involved with, please give us a call at 604-267-7024 or 1-877-410-6297 or send us an e-mail to office@hospicebc.org. After all, we are your organization. 2011 Federal Election Kit
With an upcoming federal election, it is important that CHPCA and its supporters speak with a unified voice in ensuring that all Canadian have the ability to die with dignity, free of pain, surrounded by loved ones, in a setting of their choice. Here are key messages that CHPCA will be highlighting during the upcoming election and we encourage you to do the same.
These four recommendations were taken from the Blueprint for Action: 2010-2020.
- High quality palliative and end-of-life care must be an integral part of health care, and be available in all settings of care, including hospital, long-term/continuing care, residential hospices, shelters and individual homes. When someone is diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, involving palliative care providers early can improve quality of life and reduce suffering.
- Family caregivers often provide for a family member who is dying at great cost to themselves personally, financially and in terms of their health and well-being. The health and social system and our communities must provide more support for family caregivers. Although more people are dying at home, there is not enough information about the impact on family members. One of the goals of the CHPCA is to minimize the excessive financial burden for family caregivers. Another is to ensure they have other supports to help them maintain their health.
- Canadians should expect to receive high quality care in all parts of the country. All organizations involved in end-of-life care must promote standards and best practices as well as education for health care providers, home support workers, volunteers and family caregivers.
- Hospice palliative end-of-life care will not be a priority in our health care system until it is a priority for Canadians. With the aging of the population, more attention will be focused on this issue. The type and quality of care that people receive at end of life depends in large part on their ability and willingness to talk about and plan for death while still enjoying life.
Attached to this message you will find an Election Tool-kit that will make it as easy as possible for both organizations and individuals to raise awareness of hospice palliative care programs and services during the federal election campaign.
This kit contains "ready to use" materials including:
- Key messages and suggested questions to ask candidates
- Suggested activities
- Sample letters to candidates
- Tips on speaking to candidates
- Leave-behind briefing notes, including a fact sheet on hospice palliative care
- A list of useful websites
An election provides excellent opportunities to raise issues with politicians and raise awareness of issues with fellow Canadians and gain their support. This Election Kit contains the key messages that the CHPCA will be promoting during this election campaign – we encourage you to do the same.
If you would like some advice please contact Sharon Baxter at sbaxter@bruyere.org.
Together we can make a difference!
CHPCA Election Kit 2011
A Provincial Framework for End-of-Life Care
