OTTAWA, Nov. 21, 2016 /CNW/ - At the conclusion of their "Hospice Palliative Care FIRST: A Month of Action" campaign, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA)'s Champion's Council is pleased to announce that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is the first company to receive the Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC) designation.
Over 260,000 Canadians die each year which can include being supported by as many as five caregivers in the last year or two of life. Supporting these caregivers or "carers" is important for the patient, their family, friends, and community - and for Canada in general. Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC) is a designation for Canadian employers who support their employees who have taken on this vital role for a loved one. Employers have an important role to play in supporting their employees who have taken on this role, and the Champion's Council is delighted that GSK is the first official Canadian Compassionate Company.
"I am pleased to launch the Canadian Compassionate Companies designation," said Russell Williams, longtime member and Chair of CHPCA's Champion's Council. "As a strong supporter of hospice palliative care nationally, it is quite fitting that GSK be the first company to achieve this designation."
"Our mission is to help people to do more, feel better, live longer," said Tracy Lapointe, VP of Human Resources for GSK. "And this extends to our own family of employees. We can support our own people in their most challenging hours while they take on caring for a loved one suffering from a critical illness."
More information on the Canadian Compassionate Company (CCC) designation is available on CHPCA's website at chpca.net in the CCC Backgrounder.
Formed in 2010, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA)'s Champion's Council is comprised of a group of key leaders in Canada who have offered to advance the profile of hospice palliative care across the country.
GSK is a science-led global healthcare company. They research and develop a broad range of innovative products in three primary areas of Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. In Canada GSK has long been a long-standing supporter of hospice palliative care.
BACKGROUNDER: Canadian Compassionate Companies (CCC)
Introduction – Accommodating caregivers in the workplace:
Over 260,000 Canadians die each year which can include being supported by as many as five caregivers in the last year or two of life. Supporting these caregivers or "carers" is important for the patient, their family, friends, and community - and for Canada in general. Employers have an important role to play in supporting these caregivers.
A caregiver is an individual who provides ongoing care and assistance, without pay, for family members and friends in need of support due to physical, cognitive, or mental health conditions. According to the 10th Annual Health Care in Canada Survey: A national survey of health care providers, managers, and the public, 2007, 23% of Canadians said that they had cared for a family member or close friend with a serious health problem in the last 12 months. As well, adverse effects on the well-being of carers include: using personal savings to survive (41%) and missing one or more month of work (22%).
There is strong and growing evidence that access to a palliative approach to care, combined with treatment, leads to better outcomes for persons and their family caregivers, including: improvement in symptoms, quality of life and patient satisfaction; less burden on caregivers; more appropriate referral to and use of hospice; and less use of intensive care.
What can you do?
Companies need to recognize that employees may occasionally require more time off from work than is strictly accommodated by their regular leave policies in order to provide care or support to specified family members who are gravely ill and terminally ill with a significant certainty of death within twenty-six (26) weeks.
The average number of hours per week that Canadians expect needs to be provided to ensure proper care for a dying family member is 54.4. In 2013, expectations of commitment have increased. More Canadians in this year expected that proper care will require two or more days of commitment each week (73%) compared to 10 years ago (59%). An Ontario study determined that a majority of palliative care clients were cared for primarily by a spouse or their children/children-in-law.
Why are Human Resource (HR) policies important? About the Compassionate Care Benefit (CCB)
According to the Government of Canada, compassionate care benefits are Employment Insurance (EI) benefits paid to people who have to be away from work temporarily to provide care or support to a family member who is gravely ill and who has a significant risk of death within 26 weeks (six months). A maximum of 26 weeks of compassionate care benefits may be paid to eligible people.
It is a very stressful and difficult time when a loved one is dying and/or near death. The financial security of an employee's family may be jeopardized while caring for a gravely ill family member.
The Government of Canada has extended the current CCB from 6 weeks to 26 weeks so that employees do not have to choose between keeping their job and caring for their family. It is important to note that provincial labour laws still need updating.
What makes a Canadian Compassionate Company (CCC)?
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and its Champion's Council will award the designation of a CCC if your company meets at least three out of five of the following criteria:
A CCC designation enables you to advertise yourself as a CCC including use of the Canadian Compassionate Company logo.
Companies can apply on CHPCA's website: http://www.chpca.net/projects-and-advocacy/canadian-compassionate-companies.aspx
SOURCE Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
Image with caption: "Bilingual Canadian Compassionate Company Logo (CNW Group/Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161121_C5275_PHOTO_EN_823426.jpg
For Media enquiries: Sarah Levesque, Communications Officer, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA), T: (613) 241-3663 ext. 229, [email protected]
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