Last Aid
Serious illness, dying, and grief are profound experiences. The Last Aid course equips us with knowledge and confidence to support those at the end of life and navigate our own mortality with greater understanding and courage.
What is Last Aid®?
Last Aid is a public education course that helps to raise awareness on topics like palliative care, death, dying, grief and bereavement.
Rooted in the compassionate communities approach, the program was developed in 2008 by Dr Georg Bollig, an emergency care physician and consultant in Palliative Medicine.
Why is Last Aid Important?
World-wide, 95% of the time spent managing a life-limiting illness occurs with family, friends, and the community, with only 5% involving healthcare professionals.
In Canada, family/friend caregivers provide 70-80% of care to individuals with a chronic health problem or disability
Benefits of Last Aid
Encourage Open Conversations: Make it easier to talk about death, dying, and grief, helping to reduce fear and stigma.
Boost Skills and Confidence: Help people learn about palliative care and feel more prepared to care for those who are seriously ill.
Strengthen Community: Build caring communities by giving people the knowledge and skills to support those facing the end of life or loss.
Recognition
In both 2012 and 2015 Last Aid won awards at the international Palliative Care Network Conference.
Also, in 2015 Last Aid® was awarded the “Recognition and Advancement Prize for Outpatient Palliative Care”, by the German Society for Palliative Medicine. And, as a participant in the nationwide competition Startsocial, was honoured by Chancellor Merkel as one of Germany’s best civic projects.
With support from:
