SE Health and CERAH bring The Reflection Room® to Thunder Bay
Installation uses the power of participatory art, shared storytelling and science to open up conversations about dying and death. Submitted photo
THUNDER BAY, ON – In an effort to open up our willingness to talk about dying and death, SE Health is collaborating with Lakehead University’s Centre for Education and Research on Aging & Health (CERAH), and St. Joseph’s Care Group, to bring The Reflection Room® to Thunder Bay this fall.
The Reflection Room® is an innovative research effort that uses the power of participatory art, shared storytelling and science to gently inspire conversations and support advance care planning. The installation will be set-up at St. Joseph’s Hospital in the Contemplation Space (Main Entrance) from October 26th – November 24th, 2018. It is free and open to the public during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
As Canadians, thinking about dying and death is something we tend not to do. Those who promote Advance Care Planning – that is, preparing for the health care we need in our last days, hours and minutes of life – would like us to think about it more. However, this requires us to consider how we want to live our final days, and communicate our wishes to others.
The Reflection Room® is a project led by the SE Research Centre at SE Health that leverages the power of shared storytelling and experiential design to engage people in thinking and talking about end of life. We are studying whether reflection and storytelling are positive for people who have experienced a death and whether reading the stories of others helps in thinking about dying and death.
SE Health, a not-for-profit social enterprise, has committed $5 million since 2015 to strengthen end-of-life care in Canada. The funding is expanding access to residential hospice care and community-based services, as well as supporting a variety education and research initiatives.
To date, The Reflection Room® has been installed in 23 places across Canada – from a hospital in Saskatoon, to a museum in Wellington County, Ontario, to a university campus in Newfoundland, to an international conference in Montreal.
All are invited to come into The Reflection Room®, read stories that other Canadians have written about their experiences with dying and death, and perhaps even write a story of their own.
You can also visit online at www.TheReflectionRoom.ca.
MORE INFO
- SE Health is a not-for-profit social enterprise applying knowledge, vision and drive to forever impact how people live and age at home, today and into the future. With Canadian roots and 110 years of expertise, the organization brings quality excellence and innovation to home care, seniors’ lifestyle, and family caregiving. Through its team of 9,000 Leaders of Impact, SE Health delivers 20,000 care exchanges daily, totaling 50 million in the last decade alone. Visit us online at sehc.com.
- The SE Research Centre is funded by SE Health to conduct applied health services research for the benefit of all Canadians in four areas: Aging in Society, Experiences of Health and Care, Models of Care Delivery, and Dying, Death and Grief. For more information on the SE Research Centre, visit research.sehc.com.
