Teaching program will improve access to home palliative care in Indigenous communities

Hsien Seow is developing a large education intervention aimed at improving access to community-based palliative care for Ontario’s Indigenous communities, with support of $1.24 million in funding and the partnership of Indigenous Services Canada.

The intervention, called CAPACITI-FNIM, will include teaching and practical training that will empower existing community primary care providers in delivering home-based palliative approaches to care for First Nations, Inuit and Metis (FNIM) people, many of whom face the prospect of dying in hospitals far from their homes and loved ones.

Seow, the Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation, is an associate professor in the department of oncology at McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

The initiative builds on the assets and resources FNIM communities already have, drawing from existing local community networks and team relationships, which are necessary for high-quality patient-centered care.

Learn more about the intervention.