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Important Social Media Update:
We’ve Decided to Say So Long to X (Twitter)!
After careful consideration, we’ve decided to step away from X (formerly known as Twitter). While we’ve appreciated connecting with many of you there over the years, we’re focusing our energy on platforms that better support our mission and values.
How to stay connected with NSMHPCN:
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We invite you to explore our 2024–2025 NSMHPCN Annual Report to learn more about the impact of our work over the past year. From strengthening partnerships to expanding our reach through innovative program delivery, this report highlights the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and community partners in advancing palliative care across North Simcoe Muskoka.
Grounded in compassion and collaboration, our efforts continue to ensure that every resident has access to quality end-of-life care.
We are proud of the foundation we've built and excited about the future we’re shaping—together.
Use the button below to read the 2024-2025 Annual Report.
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Air Date: 01-SEPT-2025
Being an Ally in Grief
In this episode, host Lori Gill is joined by Louise Brazier, Bereavement Services Coordinator with NSMHPCN, along with Stefanie Collins, Social Worker, and Sidney Grocott, Community Social Worker, both from Hospice Orillia, to discuss how to be an ally in grief and bereavement.
| | | | | Food and Fluid at End-of-Life | |
As the body prepares for the end of life, it’s natural for appetite and thirst to decrease. Most people stop eating and drinking as their body no longer needs or can process food and fluids. While this can be difficult for families to witness, it’s not usually painful or distressing for the person.
Normal Changes
- Less Hunger and Thirst: The body needs less energy.
- Swallowing Becomes Difficult: Muscles weaken.
- Slowed Digestion: Eating may cause discomfort.
- No Suffering: Lack of food or fluid doesn’t usually cause pain.
How Families Can Help
- Keep the Mouth Comfortable: Use water-based gels, swabs, or damp cloths.
- Offer Small Sips or Favorite Foods: Only if the person can swallow and wants them.
- Don’t Force Food or Fluids: Respect their wishes.
- Talk to the Care Team: Ask about what’s best in your loved one’s situation.
Things to Know
- Artificial hydration rarely improves comfort or extends life.
- It doesn’t relieve dry mouth—mouth care is better.
- In some cases, fluids can worsen symptoms like swelling or nausea.
The focus at this stage should be comfort, dignity, and honouring the person’s choices.
| | Palliative Care ECHO Project | | |
Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care
https://nsmhpcn.ca/fhpc
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The Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care program is a highly interactive, introductory course for all healthcare providers, support workers, and volunteers interested in enhancing their knowledge of Hospice Palliative Care.
Pre-requisite: None
Duration: Approximately 9 weeks
Fee: $40
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Advance Palliative Practice Skills (APPS)
https://nsmhpcn.ca/apps
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Building on the Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care Program, The Advanced Palliative Practice Skills (APPS) program is an interactive, educational opportunity for Personal Support Workers (PSWs), Health Care Aides and Hospice Volunteers who are graduates of the Core Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care Program.
Pre-requisites:
Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care
Duration: Approximately 8 weeks
Fee: $40
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Comprehensive Advanced Palliative Care Education (CAPCE) Program
https://nsmhpcn.ca/capce
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The CAPCE program is uniquely designed for nurses (RPN, RN, NP) to develop their leadership and expertise skills in hospice palliative care across all healthcare sectors.
Pre-requisites:
To be eligible to participate in the CAPCE program, the following pre-requisites are required:
- Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care Program.
- A minimum of 1 year experience caring for people with a progressive, life-limiting illness.
- Ability and interest to function as a Resource Nurse, providing primary level support and advanced level knowledge and skills for care team members in his or her organization.
- Ability and interest to coach others, facilitate change and be a role model.
- Sensitivity to the impact of attitudes, behaviours, life experiences, values, thoughts and feelings on the well-being and quality of life from the perspective of all partners in care.
Duration: Approximately 5 months
Fee: $200 (Students will be responsible for purchasing the required Pallium Pocket Book directly through Pallium)
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| Winter 2026 | | Registration Deadline: | Jan. 6th, 2026 | | Start Date: | Jan. 20th, 2026 | | Course End Date: | May 19th, 2026 | | Time: | 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm | | Required Sessions: |
| | Intro to CAPCE | Jan. 20th, 2026 | | Module #1 | Feb. 3rd, 2026 | | Module #2 | Feb. 17th, 2026 | | Module #3 | Mar. 3rd, 2026 | | Module #4 | Mar. 24th, 2026 | | Module #5 | Apr. 7th, 2026 | | Module #6 | Apr. 21st, 2026 | | Module #7 | May 5th, 2026 | | Module #8 | May 19th, 2026 | | Registration Link: | Click to Register | | |
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Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP)
https://nsmhpcn.ca/leap
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LEAP Core/Online
Core: Two-day inter-professional course that provides health care professionals with an in-depth learning experience on essential skills and competencies of the palliative care approach. It is ideal for any healthcare professional (e.g. physician, nurse, pharmacist, social worker, etc.) whose primary focus of work is not palliative care but who provides care for patients with life-threatening and progressive life-limiting illnesses. This program is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 28 Mainpro+ credits.
Online: Facilitated online learning program that provides health care professionals with the essential skills and competencies of the palliative care approach. LEAP Online includes 16 online modules and 2 three-hour webinars led by LEAP facilitators who are experienced palliative care clinicians and educators. This program is ideal for any healthcare professional (e.g. physician, nurse, pharmacist, social worker, etc.) who would like to complete training in palliative care at their own pace and who provides care for patients with life-threatening and progressive life-limiting illnesses. This program is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 24 Mainpro+ credits.
LEAP Mini
An inter-professional course that provides health care professionals with a condensed, one-day (8.5 hours) learning experience on the essential skills and competencies of the palliative care approach. It is ideal for any health care professional (e.g. physician, nurse, pharmacist, social worker, etc.) whose primary focus of work is not palliative care but who provides care for patients with life-threatening and progressive life-limiting illnesses.
This program is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 16.5 Mainpro+ credits.
LEAP Home Care
An inter-professional course that provides health care professionals an in-depth learning experience on the essential skills and competencies to provide a palliative care approach with course modules and case studies contextualized to the home care setting. This program is ideal for any health care professional (e.g. physician, nurse practitioner, nurse, pharmacist, social worker, etc.) as well as personal support workers (PSWs) or care aides working in home care.
There are no Mainpro+ credits as it is not certified by the College of Family Physicians Of Canada.
LEAP Long Term Care
An inter-professional course that provides health care professionals with an in-depth learning experience on essential skills and competencies of the palliative care approach with course modules and case studies contextualized to the long-term care setting. This program is ideal for any health care professional (e.g. physician, nurse, pharmacist, social worker, etc.) as well as personal support workers (PSWs) or care aides working in long-term care and nursing homes.
This program is certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 26.5 Mainpro+ credits.
Visit https://nsmhpcn.ca/leap for more information.
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Canadian Serious Illness Conversations (CSIC)
https://nsmhpcn.ca/csic
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This program equips healthcare professionals with the skills to have compassionate and effective conversations with patients, families, and caregivers facing serious illness. Focusing on person-centred values, goals, and wishes, these conversations help reduce confusion and ensure that care decisions align with what matters most to the individual. The training includes a self-learning module and a facilitated session, guiding professionals in the use of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide developed by Ariadne Labs and Pallium Canada.
Duration: 2 hours
Fee: Free
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Essential Pain Management (EPM)
https://nsmhpcn.ca/epm
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Over the course of eight weeks, NSMHPCN Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultants (PPSMCs) will work with EPM learners to provide foundational knowledge and skills in pain assessment, management, and evaluation from a palliative care approach. The focus of the course is on the pharmacological management of pain, which can then be applied to practice.
The focus of this course is on the pharmacological management of pain. Pain assessment, management, and evaluation are foundational skills for nurses working in any practice setting. EPM aims to equip nurses with a foundational knowledge base and skills around pain management, from a palliative care approach, that can be applied to your practice.
EPM
You will have eight weeks to complete the course. To receive an EPM certificate, you must:
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complete the all online modules for Part 1 (EPM) and Part 2 (APM), and
- attend two 90-minute, mandatory online coaching session.
Part 1 – Essential Pain Management (EPM) Curriculum (total hours: 18)
- One Getting Started Module
- Four Foundational Learning Modules
- One EPM Coaching Session (90 minutes) to target learner-specific needs
- Multiple Case-based, Interactive Activities to practice tools and approaches
- Multiple Self-Checks to help test learner understanding
Part 2 – Advanced Approaches to Manage Pain (AMP) Curriculum (total hours: 5)
- One AMP Preparation Module
- One AMP Coaching Session (3 hours)
Duration: Approximately 8 weeks
Fee: $40.00
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A Palliative Approach to Care with Dementia
https://nsmhpcn.ca/apacd
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Taking a palliative approach to care improves the quality of care provided and enhances the overall well-being of the person with dementia and their family and caregivers. However assessing and managing symptoms and ensuring the plan of care for someone living with dementia maintains their dignity and follows their wishes, goals, and values can be difficult when the disease reaches the stage where the person is not able to speak for themselves.
Course Overview:
This workshop’s learning objectives:
- Describe the prevalence and pathophysiology of the various types of dementia
- Better support the person living with dementia and their family/caregivers through end of life
- Understand some of the commonly used medications in dementia
- Understand specialized tools available for symptom assessment and management in dementia
Education specific to dementia for health care professionals allows for:
- Better symptom management as symptom assessment and management is more complex in the context of cognitive impairment
- Improved communication between family/caregivers and health care professionals by giving health care professionals strategies for facilitating open and honest discussions about condition, prognosis, and end-of-life preferences
- Effective interdisciplinary collaboration to tailor the plan of care to the unique needs of each patient and their family/caregivers living with dementia
- Increased caregiver support by better recognizing their unique needs and providing resources, education, and support during an extended illness journey that can place a significant burden on family caregivers
- Improved coping skills for healthcare professionals to promote resiliency and minimize the risk of burnout
Duration: 2-hours
Fee: Free
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Request a Speaker for Palliative Education
To request a speaker for a presentation at your organization or service group, we invite you to complete the online request form which can be accessed using the button below. Alternatively, you may contact Lori Gill, Education Specialist, directly via email at lori@nsmhpcn.ca.
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