Currently, we do not have a specialized program for End of Life care. We would like to better understand what options are available, what their impact has been, and what science is behind them. We're looking for something that could be implemented in many retirement homes, and is appropriate to a retirement setting, not a hospice. Ultimately, we would like a proposal for a person-centered End of Life care program created by students and based on research of best practices in seniors' health care.

Research will include:

• Finding what other programs exist
• Learning about the science behind them
• Looking at how other programs define "End of Life"

Research may also involve learning about the following:

End of life and Palliative care topics:

• Early detection of end of life---proactive rather than reactive
• Care planning
• Reduction in hospital admissions/ transfers
• Pain management
• Goals of care/advanced directives
• Clinical- unnecessary medications, hydration, skin integrity, equipment
• Person centered---spiritual, emotional, and social support
• Resident/ Family inclusion
• Care giver support
• Medical Assistance in dying MAID
• 5 stages of dying
• End of life care for people with Dementia

Palliative care goals:

• Improves quality of life
• Gives relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
• Supports life and keeping people as healthy as possible, regarding dying as a normal process
• Doesn’t quicken or postpone death
• Combines psychological and spiritual aspects of care
• Offers a support system to help people live as actively as possible until death
• Offers a support system to help the family cope during a person’s treatment and in bereavement
• Uses a team approach to address the needs of the person who is ill and their families
• Should apply to the earlier stages of illness, alongside other therapies that are aimed at prolonging life

Final deliverables include:

1. An End of Life care program proposal
2. A 10-15-minute presentation/video

A comprehensive End of Life care program proposal, to be developed through research by students. Proposal to be submitted as a report and presented in a video.