Why is there a need to focus on rural people?Palliative Care and End-of Life MeetingEdmonton, AlbertaMay 20, 2010Sharon Baxter, CHPCA

Overview of National facts

What does this mean to rural Canada

Policy perspectives – Questions to Ponder

Canada: 9,900,000 Square Km

Overview of National facts2nd biggest country (land mass) in the world yet only 33 million peopleAn aging population like much of the developed worldNationally funded health system – Canada Health Act – does not cover all settings of care

Federal government responsible for health care to First Nations and Inuit peoples, Veterans, military and federal prisoners10 Provinces and 3 Territories – responsible for the implementation of health servicesMost have some sort of regional health systems/authorities/CLSC/LIHNs except PEI and Alberta Over 100 different health systems

259,000 Canadians died in 2007

74,000 of cancer (28%) so what about the other

72%

Somewhere between 15 – 36% of Canadians have

access to hospice palliative care services in

Canada. (CIHI 2008)

Rural and remote Canada is generally doing much

worse

Hospice Palliative care is a set of services offered in a variety of settings including acute care, long term care facility/complex continuing care, residential hospice, home or occasionally on the street. It can look different based on the needs of the patient and family and the setting of care. We need seamless transition between settings.

What happens in rural and remote Canada that may not have access to various settings

What does this mean for rural CanadaSettings of care are often more limitedSettings of care are often not in one’s own communityOften means leaving your own community for care – isolation from familyOften means that family, caregivers and community takes on more care --if they remain in home – often without much support

Who provides the care – what are their needs

Need to address primary health care provision of services

Need to connect primary and tertiary care settings

Need better supports for family/informal caregivers – roster of programs

Need research/dissemination of best practices

Where Are We Now

Policy Perspectives – Questions to PonderHow do we create some minimum level of care that all Canadians could accessHow do we provide a more seamless transition between jurisdictions like provincial bordersHow do we provide a more seamless transition between settings of care

How do we meet the needs of a minority of people (living in rural Canada) that have little voice in policy development

We need to open the dialogue on death and dying and Advance Care Planning – engaging Canadians