AHPCA Office During the Pandemic
Our office is currently CLOSED to the public. The AHPCA team is working from home and regularly monitoring emails and voicemails.
Call for Board Members for AHPCA
Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association is seeking energetic, proactive, professional individuals to join our Board of Directors as Members at Large. Find out what we are looking for and how to apply.
Nominations are Open for Dr. Donna Wilson Caregiver Award
Nominations are now open for the Dr. Donna Wilson Caregiver Award which recognizes unpaid, informal palliative caregivers. If you know a person who provides exemplary care for somebody with a life-limiting illness, take a moment to nominate them – they could receive $500.
The pandemic and public health guidelines have added an extra layer of complexity to caregiving this year. Due to distancing, the lockdown and other restrictions, being a caregiver is even more isolating and difficult than it was before. Think of the caregiver you know who has gone the extra mile and consider nominating them. You can read about last year’s recipient of the Dr. Donna Wilson Caregiver Award here.
Informal caregivers are the backbone of palliative care. We depend on them to fill the gaps in care but the vital role they play in palliative care is rarely recognized. This is your chance to shine a light on the unpaid, informal palliative caregiver in your life.
Don’t delay! Nominations close on Friday October 30, 2020 at 5 p.m.
Want to learn more about caregivers? Take some time to watch this TEDx talk from Dr. Jasneet Parmar, a University of Alberta professor: Family Caregivers: Who are they? Why should we care about them?
Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association AGM Notice
Please join us for the Annual General Meeting of Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association on Thursday November 26, 2020 from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
All AHPCA members and interested people are welcome to attend.
Please register by sending a request to communications@ahpca.ca, and a link to join the meeting will be sent to you by email.
Alberta Commits $1 million to AHPCA
The AHPCA team is delighted to announce that it has received a $1 million grant to launch two new programs and expand a third program to support Albertans who are impacted by grief or life-limiting illness. Thank you to the Alberta government for the funding and the impact it will have on so many Albertans in every corner of our province who are living with a life-limiting disease, as well as their families and caregivers.
Grief and Pet Loss Research
Have you had a pet die? Are you able or want to talk about your grief?
Researchers at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary invite you to participate in a research study if:
- You are a woman age 55 or older,
- Your pet died between January 2019 and December 2019, and
- You were living alone at the time.
Please contact Professor Cary Brown at the University of Alberta (cary1@ualberta.ca) for more information about this study.
FREE Online PPE Training for Caregivers
Attention caregivers! Protect yourself and your loved one by learning how to properly use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and increase your understanding of Infection Prevention and Control protocols (IP&C). An optional course on communication strategies while wearing a mask is also being offered. Space is limited. Register now.
Dementia Network Calgary is launching the Designated Care Partner training
program in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, the Government of Canada
(Employment and Social Development Canada) and the Alzheimer Society of Calgary and
supported by the United Way of Calgary and Area, Gordie Howe C.A.R.E.S, Caregivers
Alberta and the Health Coalition of Alberta.
This opportunity is extended to continuing care/hospice organizations (one person per organization) in order to provide operators with an understanding of the training that is being provided to families. Please provide the contact information of the person who would like to participate to kim@dementianetworkcalgary.ca
AHPCA Virtual Roadshow Spring 2020
COVID-19 Resources
The pandemic has affected everyone. We are all grieving.
I know some Albertans are grieving the loss of loved ones, and this is the hardest grief of all. Other Albertans are grieving the loss of jobs, income or health. Some are grieving the loss of control and the close physical connection to others that we all crave.
We are all mourning the normalcy we once knew. During these times it is a natural reaction to experience different expressions of this grief, including anger, bargaining and even depression. These are all normal reactions and responses.
We all must process the losses caused by this new situation and the changes to our everyday lives we all face.
– Dr. Deena Hinshaw, April 15, 2020 press briefing
AHPCA has put together a list of COVID-19 resources to help Albertans, especially caregivers, through this challenging time.
AHPCA Self-Care Video Series
LIFE: Learning Insights for Everyday
These short videos are a resource for people who need answers but do not have easy access to help. AHPCA invites you to share these videos with your clients, friends, colleagues, family or anybody else who might benefit.
Relaxation Moments
We are living in difficult times. Many of us are experiencing strong emotions like worry, anxiety, sadness, fear, uneasiness, nervousness, and apprehension.
Distract yourself from distress by choosing one of AHPCA’s Relaxation Moment videos. Watch the images. Listen to the sounds. Give yourself a hand massage while you watch. Breath deeply. Relax.
Online Resource Directory
Services vary across the province and we have found that many Albertans feel isolated and uninformed during this very vulnerable time of their lives. Albertans have told us that they want an accessible user friendly online Resource Directory specializing in palliative and end of life care services throughout Alberta.
AHPCA has received a grant from the Eldon and Anne Foote Fund at Edmonton Community Foundation to research, develop and host this online palliative directory data base. It incorporates a province wide data base with an easy to use interactive map.
Membership
The Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association (AHPCA) endeavours to represent the voice of the palliative care consumers, professionals and volunteers in Alberta. We believe that all Albertans have the right to equitable access to end of life care, and we promote participation through the building of partnerships, collaboration and innovation.
Your membership in the AHPCA automatically entitles you to membership with the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA).
As a joint member you will receive: palliative care news, AHPCA updates, CHPCA newsletters, reduced conference and workshop rates, and an opportunity to add your voice to our advocacy efforts on behalf of all Albertans.
