Flexing Your Core ECHO-The Leading Edge
2026-03-05 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Vancouver)
Session resources

session summary note

Part of our Flexing Your Core ECHO series
In this session we will identify and discuss common issues in palliative care, and we will talk through steps to take in addressing ethical issues by discussing a case scenario. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how education, evaluation, QI and research are important in palliative care contexts.
Competency domains: Professional & Ethical Practice; Education, Evaluation, Quality Improvement, Research

Compassionate Dementia Inclusive Communities
2026-03-11 12:00 - 13:00
Session resources

YouTube session recording
Session summary notes

Part of the All Together ECHO Series
A sneak peek of how 3 social health movements Nav-CARE, dementia-inclusive movement and Compassionate Communities – are helping to empower and support people living with early-onset dementia, their families. An overview of ongoing project and stories from 6 Canadian communities at work who are raising awareness and helping to improve quality of life of people living with dementia and their care partners.
Presenter: Melody Jobse, Community Engagement Lead BCCPC and Community Development specialist, UBCO

Goals of Care in the Acute Care Setting: Drawing in the Team
2026-03-18 12:00 - 13:00 | online
Session resources

Session summary notes
Session recording: Youtube

Part of our Updated & Innovations in Essential Conversations for the Health Care Team ECHO Series.

This session will speak to the opportunity to take an interprofessional approach to eliciting patients’ goals of care (GOC) in acute care settings. Dara Lewis (an acute care lead for Vancouver Coastal Health’s GOC Support Team), Dr. Gary Miller (a Critical Care Physician), and Emily Sullivan (an acute care Speech Language Pathologist) will lead a discussion around how serious illness communication strategies can be used by multiple members of the care team to autonomously and collaboratively explore what matters to patients and arrive at a shared understanding of the patient’s health status. Strategies to engage physicians in GOC training will also be discussed.

Presenter: Dara Lewis, MSN(c), BSN, CHPCN Vancouver Coastal Health, Clinical Educator and Lead, Vancouver Acute
Goals of Care Support Team (previously RPACE)

A Community Collaboration: The Sunshine Coast Hospice Green Sleeve Advance Care Planning Program
2026-04-16 12:00 - 13:00
Session resources

Recording: YouTube
Session summary notes

Part of the All Together ECHO Series
Sunshine Coast Hospice Society (SCHS) developed their Green Sleeve program in 2020 as a collaboration with local physicians, paramedics and home care nurses. It started out as a COVID pilot project and has become a core Hospice program. This session will review how the Green Sleeve works as part of the advance care planning program in our semi-rural community. We will review the benefits, successes and challenges and will look forward to sharing ideas and experiences with the audience around advance care planning in their respective communities.
Presenter: Jackie Scott, Volunteer
Manager, Green Sleeve ACP Program, Sunshine Coast Hospice

Neurodivergence, grief, and bereavement
2026-04-30 12:00 - 13:00 | online
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Part of our Grief & Bereavement Literacy ECHO Series
This virtual session will have a presentation with Q & A. Session poster you can print and share linked here.
Presenter: Jess Holtslander, RSW, MSW, RCC, Sun & Clouds Counselling
This series is for anyone interested in increasing their knowledge around grief and bereavement to support them personally or in their professional careers.

Palliative Essentials in LTC ECHO: Foundations and Care Planning
2026-05-07 12:00 - 13:00 | online
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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

Connecting Minds Through Compassionate Hearts
2026-05-14 12:00 - 13:00
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Part of the All Together ECHO Series
Join us to learn how community minded partners are building an dementia-inclusive culture to help reduce stigma, raising awareness and empowering supports for people living with early dementia to age in place..
Presenters:

Erin Connelly, Operations Director, Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society
Laurie De Croos, Community Programs, Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society

Palliative Essentials in LTC: Conversations — Aligning Care with What Matters
2026-06-04 12:00 - 13:00 | online
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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

Building Bridges of Connection in a Caring Community
2026-06-09 12:00 - 13:00
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Part of the All Together ECHO Series
Join Comox Valley Hospice Society to learn about their diverse and equitable programs, and how they have established multi‑sector partnerships and collaborations to strengthen connections in their community. This session will also explore practical ways to attract and retain volunteers by tapping into their unique skills and interests.
Presenter:

Christine Colbert, Executive Director, Comox Valley Hospice Society

Conversations that Matter with Dementia
2026-06-17 12:00 - 13:00 | online
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Join us for a discussion on Conversations that Matter with Dementia.
Presenter: Dr. Trevor Janz, Residential Care Medical Director, Interior Health East, Nelson, BC

Palliative Essentials in LTC ECHO: Person centered symptom management – addressing pain
2026-06-18 12:00 - 13:00 | online
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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

Grief and Caregiving: Difficult Conversations and Decisions in Dementia Care
2026-06-24 12:00 - 13:00 | online
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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.

Honouring Grief in Long-Term Care Communities: Struggles and Strategies
2026-07-30 12:00 - 13:15 | online
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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.
