PRIORITIES: Home-Based Palliative Care

BRIDGING KNOWLEDGE GAPS

As part of an initial environmental scan, the CHCA engaged over 250 members and stakeholders—including healthcare providers, educators, policymakers, and caregivers—to explore challenges in home-based palliative care. The consultation identified gaps in healthcare providers’ confidence and competencies, particularly in communication, emotional support, and team-based care. To deepen this understanding, the CHCA conducted additional consultations using experience mapping to capture stakeholder perspectives and identify learning needs. These findings informed the creation of targeted initiatives such as Project ECHO and Knowledge Seminars to address these critical gaps.

SUPPORTING STAFF IN CONTINUOUS LEARNING

Through small, step-by-step strategies, teams are building staff confidence and sustaining momentum. In this video, learn how engagement is improving communication and delivering more compassionate home-based palliative care.

Project ECHO: Home-Based Palliative Care

Home-Based Palliative Care is one of the core learning streams in our Project ECHO initiative. Through this innovative model, we are engaging healthcare providers to enhance the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to support individuals diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses, along with their families and caregivers.

Using the Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework as our evidence-based curriculum guide, our learning themes and topics align with the palliative care domains and interdisciplinary competencies. The one-hour virtual TeleECHO sessions have engaged over 1,200 healthcare providers, with 354 individuals actively participating in multiple sessions. Participants include nurses, physicians, social workers, and healthcare leaders from urban, rural, and remote communities across Canada.  These sessions have demonstrated strong impact: 97% of participants reported that the content met their learning needs, and 90% felt confident applying the knowledge gained through the sessions.

For a full list of learning topics and upcoming sessions, visit:

Project ECHO: Home-Based Palliative Care

Knowledge Seminars

Our Knowledge Seminars were developed to address learning needs identified by members and stakeholders, focusing on the essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes required to deliver high-quality, person-centred palliative care at home. These 60-minute webinars offered targeted education aligned with key domains of the Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework and introduced core emotional intelligence (EI) skills as a foundation for compassionate and effective care.

Facilitated by Nadine Valk, a recognized leader in palliative care and guest presenters with specialties in palliative care, nursing, social work, and counselling, the seminars blend clinical expertise with emotional insight. Topics explore practical strategies to enhance communication, self-awareness, emotional resilience, and team-based collaboration—areas our members identified as critical learning gaps. Through practical examples and reflective exercises, the sessions supported participants in applying new approaches to care planning, shared decision-making, grief support, and self-care.

Attending to Grief and Loss: Empathy in Action

March 19, 2025

“There is no one way to grieve; there is only your way.” Nadine and our guest speaker explored tools for supporting families, teams, and yourself through grief and loss. This session includes techniques to identify emotional cues, evaluate the intensity and impact of feelings, and reframe overwhelming emotions. The INNPUT debriefing model for addressing moral distress will be profiled.

Presenter: Marney Thompson MA,RCC, Registered Clinical Counsellor; BC Association of Clinical Counsellors; Coordinator, Victoria Hospice Bereavement Program

Access the On-Demand Video Expert Presentation Slides

Communication and Shared-Decision Making

February 19, 2025

“What matters to you?.”  The session will help you understand how wishes, values, and beliefs can be integrated into care through Advance Care Planning and regular check-ins with patients and families.

Presenter:  Karine Diedrich, Director, Advance Care Planning , Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA)

Access the On-Demand Video Expert Presentation Slides Resources

Adapting Your Communication Style: Talking to Kids about Serious Illness and Loss

January 23, 2025

“What do we tell the kids?”   This session helps you adapt your communication style (DISC) to foster understanding and explores techniques to tailor conversations for children of different ages.

Presenter:  Shaindy Alexander, BA, CCLS, M.Sc, Clinical Manager for Child Life Services at SickKids Hospit

Access the On-Demand Video Expert Presentation Slides D.I.S.C. Model Learning Aid Resources

Communication Readiness: Reframing Difficult Conversations

January 8, 2025

“I don’t know what to say.” The session explores the Be Prepared Conversation Guides to deliver difficult news with sensitivity and empathy and presents the ‘three levels of listening’.

Presenters:
Jennifer Campagnolo, National Clinical Specialist and Project ECHO Lead, Canadian Home Care Association
Mallory Peters, Registered Nurse, Palliative Care Coordinator, Health PEI

Access the On-Demand Video Expert Presentation Slides Be Prepared Conversation Guides

Navigating Your River of Well-Being

December 10, 2024

“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” The session guides participants through strategies to recognize and manage compassion fatigue, build a self-care plan, and navigate emotional challenges.

Presenter: Tara Cohen, Registered Social Worker, psychotherapist, and mindfulness instructor

Access the On-Demand Video Expert Presentation Slides Steering through your “River of Well-Being” Practice Aid

This project has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada.
The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

This post is also available in: French

Established in 1990, the Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA) is a national non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing excellence in home and community care.

National Office: 905-567-7373     |    General Inquiries: chca@cdnhomecare.ca

2000 Argentia Road, Plaza 3, Suite 302. Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 1W1

ALL OF THIS IS HIDDEN

This post is also available in: French