COMPASSIONATE OTTAWA OTTAWA, UNE COLLECTIVITÉ COMPATISSANTE A Progress Report on Compassionate Ottawa Presented to the Chair and CEO Champlain Local Health Integrated Network July 31, 2018
COMPASSIONATE CITY MOVEMENT The aim of the compassionate city movement is to create a new community model of care that will work in concert with the healthcare system to help the frail elderly and all those dealing with dying, death and grieving at any age. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
OVERVIEW • Phase 1. Determining a Need; Establishing a Base November 2016 to September 2018 • Phase 2. Expanding the Initiative: Establishing Stability September 2018 to September 2020 Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE I HIGHLIGHTS--OVERVIEW • Strong initial community support to launch CO • Received important start up funding. OCF and a donor • OutCare Foundation agreed to be our ‘home’ • Active volunteer group which now numbers 40 • Developed community partnerships from the outset • Created a vision and mission in April 2017 Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 1 HIGHLIGHTS--OVERVIEW • Initial program priorities created in July 2017 • Evaluation component put in place from the outset • Website launched in September 2017 • Active oversight. Five person Steering Committee meets monthly. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 1 HIGHLIGHTS--PARTNERSHIPS • Establishing partnerships was key from the outset-building on what is already happening in the community. • Visited some 50 organizations in the first part of 2017. Very positive response; initiative needed, no duplication; support offered • CHPCP was our first partnership. Strong support with a partnership letter • Partnerships include health providers, social organizations and other groups Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE I HIGHLIGHTS—VISION, MISSION • VISION: A compassionate Ottawa supports and empowers individuals, their families and their communities throughout life for dying and grieving well. • MISSION: Three components: raising awareness, engaging and empowering, and facilitating education and training Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE I HIGHLIGHTS—INITIAL PRIORITIES • We are following the Compassionate City Charter from the UK. It identifies 13 social changes in the city’s institutions that are needed • We have taken the first three of these social changes. • They are schools, workplaces and faith groups. • Our fourth priority is advance care planning • We have volunteer teams working to develop each of these initial program priorities • The interest in working with us in these areas has been very strong Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 1 HIGHLIGHTS-- LEARNINGS • There is a huge need in our community to help not only those who need palliative care services but for many others who are elderly and frail, who are lonely and isolated or who are caregivers helping others. This situation is only going to get worse. • Healthcare providers tell us that they cannot cope with the situation at the present time and cannot deal with the issue by themselves. The community has to play a larger role. • It is only by building a strong community culture to look after those in need can we help solve the challenges we face. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE I HIGHLIGHTS--LEARNINGS • Community institutions like churches, synagogues and mosques struggle to provide their volunteers with the pastoral care tools they need to help those who are dealing with issues of dying, death and grieving. • The two French school boards we are working with do not feel they have the necessary tools to deal with issues of dying, death and grieving in the school system. • Workplaces tell us that they are not properly equipped to deal with similar issues. • Although advance care planning has been promoted for at least a decade, we find a low level of awareness of this key tool Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 1 HIGHLIGHTS--LEARNINGS • Caregiver support and its related physical and mental burnout is a huge issue at present and will only get worse. • The business case for the community playing a key role, working with the health system is clear (for example, reduced emergency department visits, more people dying at home). Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE I HIGHLIGHTS--LEARNINGS • We have learned that our work is about life and living as opposed to death and dying. “Live as long as you can as well as you can” • Working as an independent initiative allows us to see the community through a different lens than similar initiatives which are part of provider organizations. • There is a huge unmet need for assistance for the ethnic and culturally diverse communities as well as the less advantaged and marginalized population. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE I HIGHLIGHTS--CONCERNS • We have been very successful to date but we have got to this point largely through volunteers. There is a real need for staff resources to support the volunteers. • There is a bias of focus and resources devoted to the role that healthcare providers need to play in this area as opposed to the role that the community needs to play. This is the case, in spite of what providers tell us about the importance of the community. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 2—EXPANDING THE INITIATIVE • Continue to work on the 4 current priorities (started one year ago) • Develop other areas of the Compassionate Community Charter • Develop target populations to work with (geography, ethnic, marginalized groups) • Begin to expand outside of Ottawa to mirror catchment area of LHIN Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 2—EXPANDING THE INITIATIVE • We have an exciting opportunity to be the Canadian lead in an international project which focuses on the role of the community in end of life care • HELP is Healthy End of Life Program, offering, asking and accepting help. It is based at La Trobe University in Australia and is currently being tested in 20 Australian cities as well as cities in New Zealand and Europe • It is a three year project to create an end of life collaborative community culture, which is exactly what we are all about. • We have a funder who is interested in partial funding for the project. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 2—ESTABLISHING STABILITY • Developing a more formal organizational structure: alignment with another organization or becoming a legal entity • Developing stable sources of core funding; cannot continue to rely on community donations • Putting permanent staffing in place • Continue to develop necessary infrastructure Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
PHASE 2—A REQUEST OF THE LHIN • To support our initiative by providing some funding to demonstrate support of our community based initiative. The ED of the Centertown Community Health Centre, who feels our work is essential, has expressed a willingness to serve as a way of flowing funds to us. • Identify the appropriate LHIN executive who we can work with us as we continue to develop our programs • Assist us in other ways to reinforce the important role that the community must play in end of life care. Compassionate Ottawa | Ottawa, une collectivité compatissante
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