Person centred pain management in long term care is a core palliative essential. Untreated pain in frail older adults leads to significant distress, functional decline, pain behaviours, and reduces quality of life. This ECHO session focuses on effective pain management starting with understanding the resident’s goals of care and highlighting timely assessment including the use of behaviour based tools such as PAINAD for residents with dementia, as well as appropriate use of analgesics including opioids, addressing common fears about pain medications and strategies for effective communication with prescribers.

Presenters: Jennifer Walker, Palliative Care Physician, Lions Gate Hospital and North Shore Hospice; Coastal Medical Lead for LTC (North Shore)
Gita Rafiee, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Fraser Health Authority for Long-Term Care & Assisted Living

Connecting with residents is key to understanding who they are, what matters most to their quality of life, and how care can align with their values and preferences. This ECHO session focuses on goals of care conversations as a way to understand each resident as a unique person, support their understanding of their health, and explore care options. It also highlights how discussing expected changes can help residents and care partners prepare for what lies ahead, including preferences for where care is provided and reassurance that long-term care teams can support end-of-life care when needed.

Presenters:
Jennifer Walker, Palliative Care Physician, Lions Gate Hospital and North Shore Hospice; Coastal Medical Lead for LTC (North Shore)
Monica Kelly, MSW, RSW Lead, Goals of Care Support Team, VCH

Part of our Grief & Bereavement Literacy ECHO Series

In long-term care homes, grief is not a single moment tied only to death. It is an ongoing, layered experience shared by the entire long-term care village: residents, families, staff, volunteers, and all who are connected to the home. Losses of independence, identity, memory, relationships, and familiar roles often begin long before the end of life, especially for people living with dementia. Yet despite the deep emotional impact of these cumulative losses, grief frequently goes unrecognized in long-term care due to time pressures, limited resources, and a lack of formal support. This session brings together lived experiences from BC long-term care communities, research-informed insights, and practical strategies to help care homes acknowledge, normalize, and compassionately respond to grief as an everyday part of life and care. Session poster you can print and share linked here.

Presenters:
Lisa Dawson – President of the Independent Long-Term Care Councils Association of BC
Grace Hu, MPH – Research Coordinator, BC Centre for Palliative Care
Gita Rafiee, RN, BScN, MN, GNC(C), CNCA – Clinical Nurse Specialist Long-Term Care at Fraser Health Authority
Naoko Watanabe, MSW, RCSW, Social Worker at Minoru Residence

This series is for anyone interested in increasing their knowledge around grief and bereavement to support them personally or in their professional careers.

Learn how to integrate a palliative approach into long term care from move-in, with a focus on what matters most to residents and their families. This session introduces the foundations of a palliative approach, supports clinicians in adopting care planning that prepares for both current needs and anticipated changes, and highlights the new Palliative Essentials education available for staff working in LTC.

Presenters:
Gita Rafiee, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Fraser Health Authority for Long-Term Care & Assisted Living
Frances Wright, Palliative Outreach and Consult Team Nurse, Providence Health Care

Join us for a discussion on Conversations that Matter with Dementia.

Presenter: Dr. Trevor Janz, Residential Care Medical Director, Interior Health East, Nelson, BC

Part of our Grief & Bereavement Literacy ECHO Series

Dementia caregiving is often shaped by ongoing and anticipatory grief, as families experience repeated losses long before end of life. This session examines how both grief and dementia can impact challenging discussions regarding safety, personal independence, and end-of-life matters. It offers practical strategies to help caregivers approach these decisions with compassion, clarity, and confidence. Session poster you can print and share linked here.

Presenter: Krista Hill, MSc Dementia, BEd – Executive Director of the BC Dementia Care Society

This series is for anyone interested in increasing their knowledge around grief and bereavement to support them personally or in their professional careers.