Palliative Care
The pastoral experience of the Bishops has shown that patients are more likely13 to request euthanasia/assisted suicide when their pain is not properly managed by good quality palliative care, when their dependence on others to provide assistance and support is not adequately met, or when they are socially marginalized. Palliative care, which has yet to become fully available and accessible in our own country, offers a compelling answer – the only respectful, comprehensive and ethical alternative to what the Government is trying to address through the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
When sufficient emotional, psychological and spiritual support is lacking, individuals are not truly free to choose appropriate medical care or options and thus are led to having no other alternative than the tragic failure presented by euthanasia and assisted suicide. Palliative care provides the choice of a better option which is not truly accessible to all Canadians. It alleviates pain, addresses loneliness, fear, distress, and despair in a compassionate manner through the support of family and community. This choice of care and support respects the dignity of the person and recognizes that human life has an objective and transcendent value. A human person’s life is not defined or limited by one’s illness or one’s situation in life, for each human being processes an inherent dignity from birth until natural death.
The Value of Palliative Care IACB Guidelines for Health Care Facilities and Individual Providers Facing Permissive Laws on Physician Assistance in Suicide and Euthanasia. To view the document click HERE
Palliative Care Matters: We need to ensure that palliative care becomes part of Canada’s universal healthcare model. That’s why Covenant Health has joined with many of Canada’s leading national health organizations and experts in palliative care and health policy to lead this initiative.
http://www.palliativecarematters.ca/home
This Action Plan lays out Health Canada’s five-year plan to tackle issues uncovered through the development of the Framework. It aims to improve quality of life for people living with life-limiting illness, families and caregivers, and enhance access, quality of care and health care system performance. It complements current financial support to provinces and territories under the Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities.
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association: CHPCA is the national leader in the pursuit of quality hospice palliative care in Canada through: public policy, education, knowledge translation, awareness, and collaboration.
CATHOLIC FUNERAL INFORMATION:
Funeral Homes in Manitoba - click here.
Helpful Tips on Writing an Obituary - click here.
(Courtesy of Desjardins Funeral Home)
END OF LIFE CARE RESOURCES
Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care”. This program seeks to:
- Empower and educate parishioners by addressing questions surrounding palliative care, dying, death, suffering, accompaniment, and bereavement in a holistic fashion.
- Present high-quality content that explores how palliative care is understood from a perspective of Catholic moral and pastoral theology, medical expertise and the Compassionate Community model.
- Facilitate meaningful conversations together so that our parishes and families become Compassionate Communities, grounded in the mercy and tenderness of the living Christ.
For more details, click on this link: Horizons of Hope Palliative Care Program
Dying Healed Program™
- Dying Healed is a concept that explains how a person can pass from this life healed–not physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is not possible to heal all the pains that accompany disease and terminal illness, but we can help those suffering to experience healing of a deeper kind.
- The purpose of the Dying Healed program is to give volunteers confidence that their presence at the bedside of a lonely or dying person is an invaluable service.
- This program is intended to be a preparatory training for those who would like to spend time with the elderly, ill, disabled, and dying–those most vulnerable to the negative influences of Canada’s new euthanasia and assisted suicide legislation.
For more information on Dying Healed, Click here
End-of-Life care in the Light of God’s Word - Click here.
Further Reading Material - Click here.
Helpful Approaches to end of life care for Caregivers
Catholic Bioethics Moments
Video Series: Ethical Issues, End of Life & Matters of Conscience
Compassionate Community Care (CCC)
CCC is a registered charity comprised of health care professionals and volunteers who provide support to vulnerable persons and their families during times of illness and crisis. They provide advice, help & support regarding euthanasia & assisted suicide prevention. Contact their helpline at 1-855-675-8749 or office (Monday-Friday) at 519-439-6445 or email them
End of life choices Workshop ppt presentations
Suffering: INVOLUNTARY PILGRIM ON THE VIA NEGATIVA
To view the Table discussion results on Suffering click here.