2 - Sunday, March 11, 1990 - North Shore News

TERMINALLY ILL PATIENTS

LGH hosts care
conference

ALMOST 400 people involved in caring for the terminally
ill gathered at Lions Gate Hospital last week to exchange
ideas and discuss the state of palliative care in the province.

Originally begun as a small-scale
educational session for palfiative
care workers when LGH’s unit
opened in J98t. the conferences
have grown in scope and size to
this, the ninth year, in which a
team from St. Boniface Hospital
came to lead a panel discussion on
total pain control, the focus of the
seminar.

“We were interested in hearing
what new developments they'd
made over the year plus their team
approach to pain management,”
said Susan Hogman, a social
worker at LGH’s palliative care
unit.

The seminar focused on all
aspects of care for patients and
their families, Hogman said, in-
cluding the psychological, social,
emotional and physical implica-
tions of that care.

The problem of pain, family
concerns in pain control,
nourishing the patient and art
therapy for bereaved children were
some of topics of the workshops
that followed the plenary session.

A wide range of people par-
ticipate in the conferences: from
chaplains and hospice workers to
families of patients, medical staff
and volunteers.

Participants come not only to
learn about what Hogman calls
**comfort care,”’ what’s required
to keep patients comfortable, but
to build contacts and recharge
their batteries.

‘*It gives us energy. It gives that
perspective of sitting back and
looking at something,”’ she said.

LGH president Bob Smith said

Referendums
opposed

From page 1

He added that unlike the Van-
couver school board, which ‘‘cav-
ed in’’ and managed to develop a
budget within the education
ministry's new fiscal framework,
the NVSB would be hard-pressed
to do the same.

Dungey warned of program and
service cuts if the NVSB is forced
to come up with a budget under
the block-funding formula.

Dungey added that the NVSB is ©

now receiving fess than the
$5,259-per-student ceiling cap the
education ministry has put in place
for the province.

Under the education ministry's
new block-funding scheme, school
boards would nave to hold refer-
endums for any extra money they
want above what Victoria gives
them.

While Dungey criticized the idea
of the NVSB going to the tax-
payers for additional funds, he
said the board may have to do just
that if it wants to keep its current
programs and services in place.

“*At this point we (NVSB) want
to fight the referendums. But we
may have to do it if we want to
maintain the level of services,”’
said Dungey.

But two West Vancouver School
District 45 Board (WVSB) trustees
dismissed Surrey’s idea of asking
the ombudsman to take a look at
the dlock-funding formula.

“It’s hard to say what the om-
budsman can do that the school
board can’t do themselves,’” said
trustee Michael Smith. ‘His (om-
budsman) job is not a political
one. The Surrey school board is
trying to suggest the (funding)
formula is politically wrong.”’

Trustee Margo Furk said she
finds it ‘‘a bit peculiar to approach
the ombudsman on an issue like
this."’

the hospital's patiative care unit
has come to take on a teadership
tole in the field over its nine years
of operation.

“TP think it's something we can
brag about on the North Shore.
It's a program that draws hun-
dreds of people to learn about it,"*
he added.

The palliative care unit has 14
beds for patients while approxi- § a AEE oo . : 3
mately 30 more patients live at = tad ees _ ae
home. NEWS photo Nell Lucente

[¢ also works with North Shore 4 PANEL of health care workecs address some of the ethical issues involved with terminaliy ill patients at Lioas
Health Home Care nurses, North Gate Hospital's palliative care seminar. Listening to White Rock Hospice aurse Teres Hotell from left is St.
Shore Family Services, North Boniface medical director Dr. Paul Henteleff, LGH extended care medical director Dr.Robin Bell-irving, and
Shore home support services, and 4! Pope. chaplain at LGH.
the LGH Hospice Society.

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