"Nurse Practitioners are well positioned to help residents and families navigate their life limiting illness. We have the knowledge and skillset to provide their primary medical care, their maintenance therapies, and the treatment of chronic illness flareups. I think the value add is that we can also integrate this approach and philosophy throughout the continuum of care."

Nurse Practitioners play a significant role in long-term care, but many homes do not have one on the team. We spoke with Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Burgess about the role and how NPs can support other team members by modelling conversations, and how they are part of a holistic effort to integrate a palliative approach in long-term care.

Jennifer Burgess is a primary healthcare nurse practitioner who has been caring for older adults and within the long-term care sector for 20 years. She has been a direct care provider as a charge nurse and educator, a collaborator with community partners, and is now a nurse practitioner. For the past 10 years, she has been fortunate to have many wonderful mentors in palliative care that initially sparked her interest in helping those who are approaching end of life and who are at the end of life.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

"I think a lot of people, when you say the word palliative, they think the end of life is imminent. And that's not the case at all. These are conversations that should be starting to happen on move in or even before move-in."

Sarah Murphy is a licensed practical nurse and the assistant director of care at The Hamlet's long-term care community in Vernon, British Columbia. She has been working long-term care for eight years and has served as a Care Service Lead, Care Coordinator, and now the Assistant Director of Care.

In this episode, we spoke with Sarah about the benefits and drawbacks of pre-printed orders, and the need to distinguish between palliative and end-of-life care.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/

How do we support the elderly and their loved ones as they transition through the phases of end of life? Registered Nurse Ryan Collins talks with us about how the Palliative Performance Scale tool and courses through the SPA-LTC program have helped him adapt care strategies for long-term care residents to ensure that they get the care that's right for them.

Ryan Collins is a registered nurse and palliative care champion at a long-term care facility in St. John, New Brunswick. Along with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Bachelor of Nursing, Ryan has experience working in acute care settings in both Calgary and New Brunswick.

As a palliative care champion, Ryan aims to provide a comforting end of life phase to the elderly and their loved ones when transitioning through a time of grief, sorrow, and uncertainty.

Learn more about the Strengthening a Palliative Approach to Long-Term Care project at: https://spaltc.ca/