Director of Research at the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Dr. José Pereira speaking on the topic of Palliative Care during yesterday’s service.
Caring communities crucial
Caring for one another starts in the community.
This is the contention of Director of Research at the College of Family Physicians of Canada, Dr. José Pereira, who made the comment in his opening remarks during a church service at St. Paul’s Church yesterday.
Speaking on the topic of “Palliative Care: Quality Care through Compassion”, Dr. Pereira, in addressing members of the Barbados Association of Palliative Care and the congregation, highlighted the three Cs in palliative Care – Compassion, Care and Competencies. Making reference to his poignant experiences with patients receiving palliative care, he asked his audience to envision themselves being in the patients’ position.
Dr. Pereira, a past provincial lead for palliative care at Cancer Care Ontario, also championed the need for an integrated systems approach to hospice palliative care service provision. Additionally, over the years, he has trained thousands of healthcare professionals across Canada and currently he supports the establishment of Compassionate Communities.
In his remarks, Dr. Pereira also addressed the definition of palliative care, quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), which defines palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the associated with problems associated with life threatening illness.
In attendance for the service were the representatives from Bereavement and Counseling Groups. On Tuesday May 22, Dr. Pereira will share other aspects of this topic during the Association’s Annual Conference at The Radisson Hotel starting 8:30 a.m.