Downloaded from http://spcare.bmj.com/ on August 15, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Abstracts Aim To engage the public to use Think Ahead and to build capacity of community organisations and health care professionals to empower people to use the tool if they wish. Method A ‘Think Ahead’ form and website were designed and launched as guidance tools for the public. A range of processes were also engaged in, including: . . .
. . .
Public consultation Consultation with key stakeholders GP research: involving 120 people up to 70 years of age, examined people’s experiences of filling in the Think Ahead form Nursing home research: involving staff and residents in nursing homes in Kildare in 2014 Regional community– based pilots: Regional pilots took place in Limerick and Louth, late 2012 Train the trainer programmes with community organisations
Results . . . . .
Very positive outcomes for patients and GPs Nursing home staff empowered to enable residents to express their preferences 80% of public believed that Think Ahead would be of interest to the general public 30,000 forms distributed since 2011 Active Retirement Ireland rolling out Think Ahead
Conclusion The research and public engagement activities have shown that Think Ahead is a citizen-led practical tool which people can use as part of their planning for end of life.
OA34
FORUM ON END OF LIFE: WORKING TO INFLUENCE POLICY
1
Catherine McGuinness, 2Sarah Murphy, 3Patricia Rickard Clarke. 1National Council of the Forum on End of Life; 2Think Ahead, Irish Hospice Foundation; 3Research and Development, National Council of the Forum on End of Life, Ireland
10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.34
Background The Forum on End of Life in Ireland was launched in 2009 and has conducted a year-long public consultation about end of life issues. A National Council was set up to carry out the work of the Forum. Think Ahead is a public awareness initiative of the Forum on End of Life in Ireland which guides people in recording important information in the event that they are unable to speak for themselves, due to serious illness, emergency or death. Aim The Forum has advocated for legislation of advance health care directives and has worked to raise awareness among members of the public in relation to their rights. Currently in Ireland while common law recognises people’s right to express preferences and make directives, there has been no legislative framework for this, despite European and international law regarding personal autonomy and the right to self-determination. Method . . .
.
Organised briefings and information seminars for public representatives Organised public meetings and national conferences which deal with the importance of advance healthcare directives Spoke of the importance of advance healthcare directives and advance care planning as part of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) Health Committee hearings on end of life Called for wider national end of life strategy to take a comprehensive approach to end of life issues, including health, legal, administrative, financial and social.
SPCare 2015;5(Suppl 1):A1–A32
Results Advance healthcare directives are provided for in the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Bill 2013. Conclusion The aforementioned Bill has yet to be enacted and there remains work to be done in developing policy in this area.
OA35
SHARED HUMANITY, SHARED MORTALITY – SPIRITUAL CARE IN CARE HOMES
Mark Thomas. The National Gold Standards Framework Centre, UK 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.35
Background Currently a fifth of the population die in care homes and most residents are in the final year of life. Spiritual care is recognised as important (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE] Quality Standards, Leadership Alliance) yet there is little teaching for care homes’ staff in this vital area. Spiritual care is intrinsic in the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) programmes, it is one of the standards for GSF accreditation, yet often health and social care professionals are unaware or unconfident in this area, with a tendency to confuse spirituality with religion. Aim To develop a Spiritual Care course to supplement the range of GSF programmes, especially for care homes, to increase confidence and ability of staff caring for people nearing the end of life. While we need to bring professional expertise to bear in our caring, we must also bring our humanity, our lack of answers and our ability to listen with mindfulness and compassion. Method Working in collaboration with Staffordshire University, blending academic and practical expertise, we developed a one day workshop and filmed a four-module distance-learning course. Results Evaluations have shown a broadening of awareness and perspective, increased confidence in assessing and meeting spiritual needs, greater self-care and resilience amongst staff and a more creative interpretation of spiritual care helping to meet the needs of care homes’ residents. Conclusion Early use of this spiritual care workshop and course for care homes’ staff has been well received and encouraging. Sharing our common human experience of loss and mortality leads to greater resilience through inner transformation.
OA36
THE BUDDY GROUP
Susan Gerry-Riley. Weston Hospicecare, UK 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.36
Background In September 2008 a training course called Sharing the Journey was offered at Weston Hospicecare. During the six week course, a number of participants were bereaved. Because of the strong relationships developed between them they wanted to continue meeting after the six weeks. This highlighted that friendships can develop between strangers who are in a similar caring role but also sharing the experiences helps bereaved get back into the social networks. Having been in a long relationship or a caring role for several years some people struggle going out alone. Aim The aim of The Buddy Group is to support bereaved “carer givers” to share their experience and get back into the social network.
A11
Downloaded from http://spcare.bmj.com/ on August 15, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
OA35 Shared humanity, shared mortality − spiritual care in care homes Mark Thomas BMJ Support Palliat Care 2015 5: A11
doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.35 Updated information and services can be found at: http://spcare.bmj.com/content/5/Suppl_1/A11.2
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
Abstracts Aim To engage the public to use Think Ahead and to build capacity of community organisations and health care professionals to empower people to use the tool if they wish. Method A ‘Think Ahead’ form and website were designed and launched as guidance tools for the public. A range of processes were also engaged in, including: . . .
. . .
Public consultation Consultation with key stakeholders GP research: involving 120 people up to 70 years of age, examined people’s experiences of filling in the Think Ahead form Nursing home research: involving staff and residents in nursing homes in Kildare in 2014 Regional community– based pilots: Regional pilots took place in Limerick and Louth, late 2012 Train the trainer programmes with community organisations
Results . . . . .
Very positive outcomes for patients and GPs Nursing home staff empowered to enable residents to express their preferences 80% of public believed that Think Ahead would be of interest to the general public 30,000 forms distributed since 2011 Active Retirement Ireland rolling out Think Ahead
Conclusion The research and public engagement activities have shown that Think Ahead is a citizen-led practical tool which people can use as part of their planning for end of life.
OA34
FORUM ON END OF LIFE: WORKING TO INFLUENCE POLICY
1
Catherine McGuinness, 2Sarah Murphy, 3Patricia Rickard Clarke. 1National Council of the Forum on End of Life; 2Think Ahead, Irish Hospice Foundation; 3Research and Development, National Council of the Forum on End of Life, Ireland
10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.34
Background The Forum on End of Life in Ireland was launched in 2009 and has conducted a year-long public consultation about end of life issues. A National Council was set up to carry out the work of the Forum. Think Ahead is a public awareness initiative of the Forum on End of Life in Ireland which guides people in recording important information in the event that they are unable to speak for themselves, due to serious illness, emergency or death. Aim The Forum has advocated for legislation of advance health care directives and has worked to raise awareness among members of the public in relation to their rights. Currently in Ireland while common law recognises people’s right to express preferences and make directives, there has been no legislative framework for this, despite European and international law regarding personal autonomy and the right to self-determination. Method . . .
.
Organised briefings and information seminars for public representatives Organised public meetings and national conferences which deal with the importance of advance healthcare directives Spoke of the importance of advance healthcare directives and advance care planning as part of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) Health Committee hearings on end of life Called for wider national end of life strategy to take a comprehensive approach to end of life issues, including health, legal, administrative, financial and social.
SPCare 2015;5(Suppl 1):A1–A32
Results Advance healthcare directives are provided for in the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Bill 2013. Conclusion The aforementioned Bill has yet to be enacted and there remains work to be done in developing policy in this area.
OA35
SHARED HUMANITY, SHARED MORTALITY – SPIRITUAL CARE IN CARE HOMES
Mark Thomas. The National Gold Standards Framework Centre, UK 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.35
Background Currently a fifth of the population die in care homes and most residents are in the final year of life. Spiritual care is recognised as important (The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE] Quality Standards, Leadership Alliance) yet there is little teaching for care homes’ staff in this vital area. Spiritual care is intrinsic in the Gold Standards Framework (GSF) programmes, it is one of the standards for GSF accreditation, yet often health and social care professionals are unaware or unconfident in this area, with a tendency to confuse spirituality with religion. Aim To develop a Spiritual Care course to supplement the range of GSF programmes, especially for care homes, to increase confidence and ability of staff caring for people nearing the end of life. While we need to bring professional expertise to bear in our caring, we must also bring our humanity, our lack of answers and our ability to listen with mindfulness and compassion. Method Working in collaboration with Staffordshire University, blending academic and practical expertise, we developed a one day workshop and filmed a four-module distance-learning course. Results Evaluations have shown a broadening of awareness and perspective, increased confidence in assessing and meeting spiritual needs, greater self-care and resilience amongst staff and a more creative interpretation of spiritual care helping to meet the needs of care homes’ residents. Conclusion Early use of this spiritual care workshop and course for care homes’ staff has been well received and encouraging. Sharing our common human experience of loss and mortality leads to greater resilience through inner transformation.
OA36
THE BUDDY GROUP
Susan Gerry-Riley. Weston Hospicecare, UK 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.36
Background In September 2008 a training course called Sharing the Journey was offered at Weston Hospicecare. During the six week course, a number of participants were bereaved. Because of the strong relationships developed between them they wanted to continue meeting after the six weeks. This highlighted that friendships can develop between strangers who are in a similar caring role but also sharing the experiences helps bereaved get back into the social networks. Having been in a long relationship or a caring role for several years some people struggle going out alone. Aim The aim of The Buddy Group is to support bereaved “carer givers” to share their experience and get back into the social network.
A11
Downloaded from http://spcare.bmj.com/ on August 15, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
OA35 Shared humanity, shared mortality − spiritual care in care homes Mark Thomas BMJ Support Palliat Care 2015 5: A11
doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2015-000906.35 Updated information and services can be found at: http://spcare.bmj.com/content/5/Suppl_1/A11.2
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
