PACE talk examines end-of-life care options
By Cecilia Nasmith
The March Northumberland PACE talk is a feature presentation called Dying Happens – An Overview of Navigating the Medical System in Northumberland at End of Life.
This virtual session on March 17 at 5:30 p.m. will be a Zoom event led by Dr. Kate Everdell, a family physician who has practiced in Port Hope since 2016. She is among the active medical staff at Northumberland Hills Hospital and serves as medical director at Ed's House hospice-care centre.
Dr. Everdell's talk will address advanced care planning and substitute decision makers, review local supports for end-of-life care (both physically and emotionally), and explore the palliative-care options in the community.
PACE stands for Personalized Assessment and Change Education. PACE talks were an initiative that began with NHH chief of staff Dr. Mukesh Bhargava to address the questions being brought to him most often by his patients.
Starting in 2018, the monthly talks have been hosted as free public-education sessions on a broad range of health and wellness topics, with consistently large audiences bringing a range of questions and perspectives. The series adapted to a new virtual format as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future topics planned for presentation in 2021 include advance care planning, maintaining our mental health in a global pandemic, and lifestyle improvements (sleep and physical exercise, for example) that are within our control.
The hour-long sessions consist of a 30-minute talk, a 20-minute question-and-answer session with the guest speaker, and a 10-minute moderator summary. Bring your questions, your suggestions and your experiences, and join what is expected to be another informative session.
Pre-registration is required, as the session is limited to the first 300 registered attendees – who will each require a Zoom account and internet access. Plan to log on five minutes prior to the 5:30 p.m. start.
Register today at www.pacetalks.com, where you will also find video and highlights from many of the previous seasons' talks.
For those unable to attend, efforts will be made to share a recording of this conversation following the event (technology permitting).
