Paula Kimmel’s Post

Step 1: Advance Directives... Had a great conversation via Linkedin with Ilene Corina BCPA She / Her (despite me totally flubbing her name initially, sorry Ilene!) about what the takeCHARGE Campaign is doing to advance patient care and get patients the representation they need. They have a great 5 step process with some excellent content for professional patient advocates and for caregivers/family members/patients alike to prepare for medical visits. Step 1, as above, is about advance directives. A VERY important first step, especially from an ER standpoint. Check out all the tips here: https://takecharge.care/ They take donations as well if you're so inclined and passionate about their mission!

Workshop 08.11.24 - last chance to attend this year! Compassionate Communities Essentials for Hospices Ambition 6 of the Palliative and End of Life Ambitions National Framework focuses on Communities being prepared to help - Compassionate communities as an approach helps address this challenge. We at Compassionate Communities UK have found in our training sessions that considerable confusion exists about how to approach engagement and development in compassionate community projects. There is a tendency to think about compassionate communities as something on its own rather than something that can be integrated into the routine ’business’ of hospices, enhancing the day to day clinical care and seeing it as a natural part of conversations of any sort with communities members. There is also a tendency to approach compassionate communities as another service that the hospice provides for the community, doing something ’to’ communities rather than discovering the rich resources and treasures that are already out there. To try and help develop existing programmes, and to stimulate interest in new ways of working, we are putting on this session. We will explore discovering community treasures, realigning services in the context of community and how to start community conversations from a public health palliative care perspective. Head over to Eventbrite to book your ticket: https://lnkd.in/eY5fEXmY

5 patient safety focuses to help healthcare inch close to 'zero preventable harm': The Patient Safety Movement Foundation, a non-profit based in Irvine, Calif., made up of patient safety experts and clinicians, announced five key focuses for 2024 as the organization works to create a "zero preventable harm" environment throughout the healthcare sector. http://dlvr.it/T28Cp7

Today marks World’s Palliative Care and Hospice—a realm where healthcare meets humanity at its core. Palliative care and hospice focus on improving the quality of life for those facing serious, often terminal illnesses. While both aim to relieve pain and stress, palliative care can begin at diagnosis and happen alongside treatment, whereas hospice is reserved for when curative treatments cease. In addition to improving quality of life, they provide peace of mind to patients and families. More significantly, they encourage meaningful conversations about values and wishes. Let’s deepen our understanding and spread awareness about the impactful care and incredible work of professionals in this often neglected discipline. Let’s keep this dialogue going and spread awareness of the need for comprehensive palliative care, and the impactful care the services provide by healthcare providers.

This is a *very* simplified way of explaining why it's important to be extra mindful when it comes to choosing a palliative or hospice care person or team. We want to help everyone make challenging life and end-of-life decisions with confidence. We're illustrating why this topic is important alongside some potential “watch-outs" so you make a good decision! Don’t be dissuaded just because there are things to watch out for. The fact is, choosing a care provider that *you and your family trust and enjoy working with* can make a world of difference to anyone relying on them. If you'd like a fuller explanation for what we have listed, you'll find an expanded version of this chart on our Palliative Care vs Hospice Care page at LightAtTheEnd.com. This is the first in a planned series, and we hope you find it useful!

Knowledge is power! 🏋🏾♀️ Spent the last two days at the Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) retreat and learned about the Patient Rights Advocate Hospital Price Finder tool, which "aggregated publicly available price transparency data from 6,000 U.S. hospitals to empower all Americans with actual, upfront hospital prices". Already shared with some Covered California team members and brainstorming how to leverage this data transparency to benefit our enrollees! https://lnkd.in/giykekx4

A great couple of days at #LabourConferece24 with Sue Ryder colleagues talking about Palliative and End of Life Care and the massive opportunities we have to significantly improve support for people, whilst helping to transform the wider health and social care system. We had a really rich panel discussion on Sunday with Hospice UK and Marie Curie UK where we achieved a strong consensus in the room that more focus is needed on developing effective support for people who are dying. With thanks to to our expert panel: Charlie King, Laura Chapman, Annie Williamson, Adam Gordon Dr Simon Opher MP, Nathaniel Dye and Ashley Dalton MP In order to achieve reform, we need to reframe ‘death’, and change the public conversation so we can seek improved outcomes for people - we need to get beyond the taboos and embrace this inevitable reality for us all. This is of course difficult and sensitive, but just because that’s the case it doesn’t mean we should shy away from the challenge and focus on the opportunities to enable people to have a good death. Our mission at Sue Ryder, that no one should die or grieve alone, gained wide support through the various conversations across the two days and these are not simply empty words but a goal we can all strive for. And this goal fits well within the Government’s key shifts for the healthcare system - we need to move more palliative care services into the community and closer to people’s own homes. We also need to support people earlier in their health trajectory in a shift towards prevention - now I know that preventing death isn’t achievable, but preventing unnecessary fear, anxiety, unnecessary hospitalisation can be, and this is great for people and will save money and precious health resources too. There was also lots of discussion about the need to work across the system in new and mature ways - reducing structural protectionism, moving away from clinical silos and accepting that all parts of the system need to change to achieve what is needed. It was refreshing to have such positive engagement on a difficult topic from a wide range of people and organisations. We are ready to help shape the future of death and dying and look forward to working with key partners to shift the dial. Leanne Creighton Emma V. John Kemp

Both hospice and palliative care share a common goal —  improving the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses by providing relief from symptoms and distress. Palliative care is a specialized medical approach that can be administered alongside curative treatments at any stage of illness. It involves a multidisciplinary team addressing physical, emotional, and psychological needs, with a focus on enhancing overall quality of life and symptom management. On the other hand, hospice care is designed for patients with a terminal illness when curative treatments are no longer effective or desired, typically with a life expectancy of six months or less. Hospice prioritizes comfort, offering support at home, in a hospice facility, or sometimes in a hospital, while also providing emotional assistance for families. It's important to note that there can be an overlap between these two forms of care, and patient choice plays a pivotal role in deciding the appropriate care level. Honest and open communication with healthcare providers ensures patients receive care that aligns with their goals and values, facilitating a more informed and compassionate healthcare journey. #inhomeconnect #palliativecare #hospicepatients #palliativecareprofessionals #elderlycare

Today’s question comes from our E•O•L Deck and asks about how direct you want medical professionals to be. This is typically the first E•O•L Deck question that I ask my hospice patients. In my opinion, this is a very important aspect of quality end-of-life care. Some people prefer to know everything themselves. Others prefer for their family members to be the ones to determine what they know about their disease progression. For individuals that prefer all of the information, I provide them with a copy of Barbara Karnes, RN booklet, Gone From My Sight, the first time that I meet them and we go through it together. We then discuss it again more in depth during my next hospice social work visit, once they’ve had time to read and reflect on their own. The E•O•L Deck is a tool to help professionals and family members facilitate conversations with people approaching end-of-life. Using multiple-choice questions and a casual tone, The E•O•L Deck explores legacy and end-of-life preferences in an approachable manner. Learn more about The E•O•L Deck (link in comments). What would your answer be?

A few months ago we were lucky enough to meet with Helen Hughes, the Chief Executive at Patient Safety Learning, a charity and independent voice for improving patient safety. https://lnkd.in/eqAKCrs9 With Helen, we discussed; 🌟How engaging the patient can help improve safety ⛑️The role of leaders in promoting a culture of safety 🎯KPI's & metrics, and much more Check it out now 👇 #psaw2024 psaw24 #patientsafety