The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, on August 30, 2024, announced $2.4 million in funding over three years to McMaster University to design programs and education materials to encourage earlier access to palliative care.
Research led by MIRA-member Dr. Hsien Seow, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Department of Oncology, and Dr. Samantha Winemaker, Associate Clinical Professor, Family Medicine, both of McMaster, join Dr. Jeff Myers of the University of Toronto aims to work with health care providers, patients, and those close to them as well as communities and organizations to co-create solutions that address diverse needs and lived experiences, ensuring that the resources are informed by their invaluable perspectives and insights.
This initiative will involve collaboration with health care providers, patients, their families, and communities to co-create solutions that address diverse needs and experiences. The project aligns with The Government of Canada’s Action Plan on Palliative Care, which aims to improve the quality of life for people living with serious illnesses, enhance access to palliative care, and improve overall health care system performance. By fostering improved communication skills among providers and empowering patients with information, the initiative seeks to make difficult conversations about serious illness and end-of-life care more manageable.
Dr. Hsien Seow, a MIRA member and co-Principal Investigator of the project, emphasized the transformative potential of this funding. “This project will empower both interprofessional health care providers and patients and families to demystify a palliative approach to care and enable them to be more prepared for their illness journey. This will lead to more hope, choice, and control for Canadians facing a life-changing diagnosis,” said Dr. Seow, whose research investigating social isolation in older adults during the pandemic was a recipient of a 2020 MIRA COVID-19 Catalyst Grant.
This funding represents a significant step towards better palliative care in Canada, ensuring that resources are informed by the invaluable perspectives and insights of those directly affected.
