CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON PALLIATIVE AND COMPASSIONATE CARE

Tue 2 Nov 2010

The Canadian Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care
is holding a hearing in Victoria

Tuesday Nov 9, 2010

9:30 am – 1:00 pm

James Bay New Horizons - 234 Menzies St

Hosted by: Denise Savoie, MP Victoria

With: Joe Comartin, MP Windsor Ontario

We will be joined by a number of doctors and experts in the field of palliative care, including; Dr. Robert Evans, Amanda Brown, Dr. Neena L. Chappell, Dr. Michael Downing, Dr. Gloria Gutman, Marcus J. Hollander, Alison Leaney, Wanda Morris, Dr. Kelli I. Stajduhar and Dr. Charmaine Spencer(please see biographies below).

The discussion will focus on:

 Palliative and long-term chronic care, along with the fundamental human right to adequate pain control at every stage of life.

 Elder abuse in its various forms (including physical, emotional, financial and abandonment of the vulnerable).

 Development of a national strategy for suicide prevention, improved diagnosis and treatment of depression in elderly and other vulnerable groups and implications of Canada’s mental health crisis.

 The rights of persons with disabilities, especially regarding health care and accessibility.

Please join us for this important discussion.

For more information on the committtee please go to:

http://www.pcpcc-cpspsc.ca/
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Biographies

Wanda Morris:

Wanda is a Vancouver area Chartered Accountant with a Master of Arts Degree in Transforming Spirituality. She has seen, first hand, through the deaths of friends and loved ones, the needless suffering caused by our failure to provide legal and accessible options for people with incurable or terminal illnesses to choose the time, place and circumstances of their death.
Our current medical framework is unacceptable. There are no readily accessible methods for those with terminal or incurable illnesses who choose to end their lives. Taking high doses of aspirin or Tylenol will more likely result in chronic organ damage than death; doctors are legally precluded from prescribing narcotics in sufficient doses to ensure an easy passing. Any doctor assisting in a death is at risk of being prosecuted and jailed.
Wanda believes that proper medical care must include the right to die for individuals with terminal or incurable illnesses. Where such individuals choose, they must have the right to die in a humane manner, at a time of their choosing, in the presence of friends and loved ones. When my sister's beloved dog, Sparky, was suffering and in constant pain, Linda gathered two of her closest friends and held Sparky in her arms as vet Karen put her gently to sleep. If one of my family members or loved ones was suffering a terminal or incurable illness and chose to die, I would like to honour their passing in the same way. I'd like to be there, holding them in my arms, as they gently leave this life.

Dr. Neena L. Chappell:

Neena L. Chappell, PhD, FRSC, Canada Research Chair in Social Gerontology, Professor of Sociology and Centre on Aging, University of Victoria. She was founding Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba (1982 - 1992) and first Director of the Centre on Aging at the University of Victoria (1992 - 2002), developing both into world-class research facilities while ensuring accessibility to the community. For over 30 years, she has been a leader in gerontological research, focusing on issues around aging (caregiving, social support, dementia care, health services, healthy aging, Chinese and China) and health and social policy. Her research can be characterized as partnerships with other researchers in the social sciences and with non-researchers in government and community agencies.

Dr. Chappell promotes relevance and scientific rigour. She conducts large quantitative studies, small in-depth qualitative studies, publishes policy papers, and commentaries on the current societal situation. She argues for recognition of the positive aspects of aging as well as recognition of problems and challenges.

She has written more than 300 academic articles, chapters, reports, written or edited 9 books. Dr. Chappell has lectured internationally and is frequently sought out by committees and the media.

Marcus J. Hollander:

Marcus J. Hollander, PhD, is President of Hollander Analytical Services Ltd. He holds an Honours BA in sociology, an MA in sociology, an MSc in health services planning and administration, and a PhD in Human and Social Development with concentrations in social and health policy, administration and finance. Marcus has over 30 years of experience in health services research, evaluation and administration. He has held the following senior research positions: Director of Research and Planning for the Alcohol and Drug Commission of BC, Visiting Research Fellow at Statistics Canada, and Director of the Health Network of the Canadian Policy Research Networks. He also has served in a number of senior administrative and policy positions in the BC Ministry of Health. He has extensive experience as an administrator and researcher in continuing care and was the Co-Director of the National Evaluation of the Cost-Effectiveness of Home Care. Marcus holds academic appointments in Gerontology at Simon Fraser University, and in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. He currently leads a project to evaluate two primary care initiatives in British Columbia: the Full Service Family Practice Incentive Program, and the Practice Support Program.

Dr. Michael Downing:

Dr. Downing heads the Research and Development office which was formed in 2007 to provide support and coordination for providing research. Many studies have been conducted in such areas as new pain drugs, bowel care, respiratory congestion, family support, children and bereavement. Victoria Hospice research partners include the University of Victoria, the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver Island Health Authority, the British Columbia Cancer Agency and the Victoria Palliative Research Network.

Dr. Kelli I. Stajduhar, BSN, MSN, PhD (University of British Columbia):

Kelli Stajduhar is an Associate Professor and joined the School of Nursing in 2004. She is also a research affiliate and faculty member at the UVic Centre on Aging (COA) where she completed post doctoral studies. Her clinical background is primarily oncology and palliative care. Prior to joining UVic as a faculty member, she worked as a nurse clinician, clinical nurse specialist, and a researcher with local health authorities. Dr. Stajduhar’s research focuses on developing the knowledge needed to inform the development of health services in palliative and end of life care and with marginalized and vulnerable populations. Currently, Dr. Stajduhar is involved in a number of studies that focus on family caregivers of people with cancer, and aging populations, particularly within the context of home and community care. Along with co-leading a national CIHR funded New Emerging Team focused on family caregiving in palliative and end of life care, Dr. Stajduhar currently leads a multi-site study examining family caregiver coping in end of life cancer care.

Dr. Stajduhar was recently awarded a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her teaching experience includes sessional instructing for the School of Nursing since 1998 and she currently teaches a graduate level research course in the School. She has served as a thesis committee member for 4 MN students. Currently, she is a committee member for 2 MN students and 1 PhD student and supervises or co-supervises 3 Master’s students.

Dr. Charmaine Spencer:

Charmaine Spencer is a lawyer and Research Associate in Vulnerable Populations, focussing on a range of "risk" and older adult abuse issues. Ms. Spencer has been a member of the Gerontology Research Centre's staff since 1991. A member of the Law Society of British Columbia, her legal interests have focussed on disability law, human rights protection, guardianship and labour law issues.

She has written on a number of the legal aspects of family relationships with older adults, most recently in light of cases such as Newson vs. Newson. She is past-President of the Advocates for Care Reform, a non-profit society concerned with improving the quality of life for people who live in institutional settings, as well as for those who work there. For two years, she was an active volunteer on a community effort to reform B.C.'s adult guardianship laws.

At the Centre, Ms. Spencer's research has focussed on three main areas:
1) abuse of older adults in community and institutional settings;
2) seniors and alcohol;
3) legal and financial issues in aging.

In her role as a GRC Research Associate, Ms. Spencer has acted as a resource and liaison to various community organizations interested in innovative research. In the last two years she has helped them develop successful research proposals totaling over $373,000. Since 1991, over $242,000 has been awarded for her own research and publishing. Ms. Spencer is well known for her commitment for translating complex issues of aging research into language that all people can understand.
have choices: A practical guide for financial decisions for women of all ages. Vancouver: Gerontology Research Centre, Simon Fraser University.

Dr. Gloria Gutman:

Dr. Gutman developed and directed both the Simon Fraser University Gerontology Research Centre and the Gerontology Department (formerly called the Gerontology Program) from 1982 - 2005. In February 2010, she was elected the 3rd President of the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA). INPEA was founded in 1997. Its mission is to increase society's ability, through international collaboration, to recognize and respond to the mistreatment of older people in whatever setting it occurs, so that the later years of life will be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Its objectives are to: 1) increase public awareness of the issue; 2) promote education and training of professionals and paraprofessionals in identification, treatment and prevention; 3) further advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected older persons; and 4) to stimulate research into the causes, consequences, prevalence, treatment and prevention of elder abuse and neglect. As well, Dr. Gutman is Professor Emerita in the SFU Gerontology Department as well as a Research Associate in the Gerontology Research Centre.

She is widely known in the field of gerontology as an educator, researcher, and consultant. She is the author/editor of twenty-two books, over one hundred and eighty scholarly articles, reports, and chapters, as well as over three hundred conference papers. In 2007, she was awarded the Order of British Columbia in recognition of her pioneering work in the field of Gerontology. In Spring 2010, Dr. Gutman was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa (LL.D.)) by the University of Western Ontario for her work as "An international authority in the field of gerontology."[Reported in SFU Media Matters]

She has been a consultant to the Ministry of Lands, Parks and Housing in B.C., the Continuing Care Division of the B.C. Ministry of Health and to Health Canada. She has served on a number of federal-provincial task forces, including one that established guidelines for comprehensive services for the psychiatrically impaired elderly, and one which developed design guidelines for housing and care facilities for the elderly.

Dr. Gutman’ s research interests are wide-ranging; including seniors’ housing, long term care, health promotion, dementia care, environmental design of age-friendly hospitals and cities, and seniors emergency preparedness. Dr. Gutman has been very active in scholarly and community organizations. She was the Founding President of the Gerontology Association of British Columbia, served two terms as President of the Canadian Association on Gerontology (1987-1991), and was President of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, from 2001 to 2005.

She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a Director of the International Institute of Ageing - United Nations, Malta and a member of the World Health Organization’ s Expert Advisory Panel on Ageing and Health and a member of the World Economic Forum's Council on the Ageing Society.

Dr. Robert Evans:

A founding member of the Centre, Dr. Evans is a lifelong leader in academia and an internationally esteemed health economist. His groundbreaking comparative studies of health care systems and funding strategies have shaped policy in Canada and provided insight to governments and health agencies worldwide. A decorated academic, Professor Evans is the recipient of Canada’s highest honour for lifetime achievement, as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He also served as a member of the British Columbia Royal Commission on Health Care and Costs in 1990, and of the National Forum on Health, chaired by the prime minister of Canada, from 1994 to 1997. His canonical works, "Strained Mercy: The Economics of Canadian Health Care" and "Why Are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The Determinants of Health of Populations" are considered classics in the field.

In addition to serving as an Officer of the Order of Canada, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an Institute Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, where he was director of the Population Health Program from 1987 to 1997. He is also an honorary life member of the Canadian College of Health Services Executives and of the Canadian Health Economics Research Association, and a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance (US). In 2001, he became the first Canadian (and the second non-American) to win the Baxter International Foundation Prize for Health Services Research.

As an University Killam Professor at UBC, Dr. Evans is a prolific author and an active professor, researcher and consultant with the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research and the Department of Economics.

Dr. Evans received his undergraduate degree in political economy from the University of Toronto and a PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Affiliations and Awards
Officer, Order of Canada
University Killam Professor, UBC
Fellow, Royal Society of Canada
Baxter International Foundation Prize for Health Services Research
Professor Jacob Biely Faculty Research Prize, UBC
Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
National Health Research Scientist award, UBC
Health Services Research Advancement Award, Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, 2002
Senior Investigator award, CIHR, 2001 to 2005

Alison Leaney:
Alison is the national Project Coordinator for the Elder Abuse Theme Team’s Knowledge to Action Project, a three year project of the National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly (NICE). The purpose of the Knowledge to Action Project is to put evidence based tools in the hands of various people detecting, screening, intervening and/or preventing abuse of older adults.
Until just recently Alison was the half-time Executive Director of the BC Association of Community Response Networks and the half-time Adult Guardianship Community Development Coordinator at the Public Guardian and Trustee of BC. Her role at the BC Association of CRNs was to continue to coordinate the sustaining of BCs 30+ Community Response Networks while her role at the PGT was to continue to support the implementation of BC’s Adult Guardianship Legislation which she has been involved with for more than 15 years,. CRNs are local networks supporting local capacity building to create local responses to adult abuse and neglect developed in relation to Part 3 of BC’s Adult Guardianship Act.
Her background includes supporting women leaving abusive situations, supporting women involved with the Criminal Justice System, serving as a medical social worker, and providing pastoral care and supporting capacity-building in a faith community.
Alison was the Chair of the Canadian Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (CNPEA) from 2003-2007. She is one of two 2007 recipients of the Simon Fraser University’s Abuse Awareness to Action Award. She is also one of two finalists for the Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Award in the Legacy category.

Amanda Brown:

Amanda Brown regional ReAct Response Resource serving as staff trainer, policy developer, case consultant for Vancouver Coastal Health, one of BC’s five regional health authorities. Seasoned social worker many years of experience in the field of responding to abuse of older and vulnerable adults.