Seeing families struggle to make medical decisions: Dr. Claire Talbot’s story
Dr. Claire Talbot is a palliative care physician in Vancouver, BC. She has seen what happens when ACP is not in place. When a crisis comes along, she has witnessed families struggle to make decisions about medical care.
Face the storm before it happens: Dr. Joseph Westgeest’s story
Dr. Joseph Westgeest, a physician specializing in palliative care in Vancouver, BC, says that now is the time to have a conversation with someone you trust to speak for you – because it will only get harder as time goes by. “Procrastination takes easy things and makes them harder and takes hard things and makes them impossible.”
Now is the time!: Dr. David Williscroft’s story
For Dr. David Williscroft, it’s all too common for people leave decisions regarding their end-of-life care until it’s too late. “I treated one patient who was 102 years old. Neither he nor his family thought it was necessary to have any conversations about end-of-life because he was cheerful and feeling fine. This, even though he had recently fallen, had an infection and a rapidly growing cancer.”
The best gift for you, your family, and friends, your healthcare providers: Kelsey Listoen’s story
As a registered nurse with BC Cancer Agency in northern British Columbia, Kelsey Listoen has seen the benefits and the consequences when Advance Care Planning (ACP) has been in place and when it has not. The breadth of her experiences inspires her to have difficult end-of-life conversations with family members.
Taking an individual approach: Sarb Basra’s story
Ask 100 people about their values, wishes and beliefs when it comes to their future health and personal care, and you are likely to get 100 very different responses. Sarb (Sarbjit) Basra, MSW, RSW knows that advance care planning is a unique journey for each of us, despite having common themes. She uses her knowledge and skills to guide patients, families and care providers through the advance care planning process.
