Category Archives: News

POR Training Program 4: Qualitative Methods & POR

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If you are interested in Patient Oriented Research (POR), this might be something you want to attend.

The Patient-Oriented Research Training Program provides participants with a foundational understanding of Patient-Oriented Research (POR). It is intended to help equip research team members with the skills and knowledge necessary to engage meaningfully in projects that involve a POR approach.  The Training Program is open to anyone who is collaborating, or planning to collaborate, in POR. It is intended for graduate students, trainees, community and academic researchers, patients and family members, health care professionals, decision-makers, and industry and community stakeholders who are interested in learning about, or contributing to, POR in Alberta.  

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A Historic Day in Canada?

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The long-awaited and much-debated doctor-assisted-dying Bill C-14 was tabled in Parliament today. According to the bill, individuals who are “suffering intolerably” and whose death is “reasonably foreseeable” will be able to access doctor-assisted death, but “mature minors” and the mentally ill will not. In addition, advance consent for individuals with degenerative disorders, including dementia and Alzheimers, will be disallowed.

Not surprisingly, there are many people who feel that this legislation is far too restrictive and limiting. However, according to Jane Philpott, Canada’s Health Minister, “We believe this legislation is the best approach to ensure that dying patients who are suffering unbearable pain have the choice for a peaceful death and the vulnerable are protected.” What are your thoughts?

Click here to read more about what some see to be a “historic day.”

A Special Heart

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In 2012, Lisa Swanson’s son, Levi Schulz, was killed in a car accident. His heart was donated to Terry Hooper. Imagine hearing your dead son’s heart in another person’s chest. This is exactly what Lisa did. Click here to watch the video of Lisa and Terry meeting for the first time.

Call For Participants

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Call for participants
If you are or know of someone who is:

  • Over the age of 65;
  • Live in Alberta;
  • Have an annual household income of less than $50,000;
  • Have a high risk of a cardiovascular event based on having ONE of the following:Previous heart attack or stroke, chronic kidney disease, heart failure OR Any TWO of the following:Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, current cigarette smoking (greater than half a pack a day)

this may be of interest to you.

Researchers at the University of Calgary are looking for 5000 low-income seniors to participate in a study that will focus on managing chronic disease. To find out more and how you can get involved, click here.

Eager to Volunteer at 90

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Mrs. Mary Margaret Sims turned 90 years old on Saturday, March 26th and is a long-time volunteer in her community. In addition to volunteering for Meals on Wheels, she is also a volunteer at the local cancer society thrift shop. According to Mrs. Sims, “Serving others gives us self-satisfaction…It makes me feel good.” Click here to read the full story.

Insight into Insite

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nytinsite

Insite is the first legal supervised interjection site in North America.  Located in Vancouver, Canada, people can inject drugs in a safe place that is health focused.  The goal of Insite, which is operated and funded by Vancouver Coastal Health, is to “decrease the adverse health, social and economic consequences of drug use without requiring abstinence from drug use.” (http://www.vch.ca/public-health/harm-reduction/supervised-consumption-sites Continue reading →

Family Presence Heads to “The Hat”

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On Friday, March 18th, @aircalgary, a member of the Patients 4 Change (Pts4Chg) community, set out for Medicine Hat, Alberta. It was there that the next Family Presence chat session was taking place. Below is @aircalgary’s overview of the day.

Friday March 18, 2016

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s cozy meeting room in Medicine Hat was the location of my second Family Presence coffee chat from 1 pm to 3 pm. Organized with the help of Lorna Scott, a local author, caregiver coach and trainer, Lorna brought together members of the Caregiver Coalition of Southeast Alberta for our chat on the Family Presence campaign in advance of April 4th Change Day here in Alberta. I brought the swag, cookies and balloons and Family Presence conversation cards. To learn more about this group that has been connecting caregivers in SE Alberta since 2009 see: https://www.facebook.com/CaregiverCoalitionOfSoutheastAlberta/.
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Is There a Cure for Paralysis?

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Darek FIn 2010, Darek Fidyka was paralyzed from the chest down due to a knife attack. However, in 2014, surgeons announced that Fidyka’s paralysis had been reversed by using cells from his nose to repair his spinal cord. According to Fidyka, “I can tell that sensation is coming back and I am getting stronger. A year ago I would not have been able to ride a tricycle. Now I can feel each muscle and each press of the foot on the pedals.”

The medical team that treated Fidyka is initiating a worldwide search for patients, who have specific types of spinal cord injuries, to participate in the Wrocloaw Walk Again Project. To read more about Darek Fidyka and the Wroclaw Walk Again Project, click here.