Hospice Halifax Lecture Series
Death and dying is a topic that we’re taught to shy away from in day-to-day life, and yet they’re experiences that we all share. Hospice Halifax’s free Lecture Series aims to open conversation and promote learning about death, grief, and all the emotions surrounding it.
By inviting knowledgeable and engaging experts to present their work, this free series provides a chance for the community to explore these topics in a supportive and informative environment.
Explore Upcoming Lectures Below
When: March 5, 2025, 7-8:30pm
Where: Hospice Halifax (618 Francklyn St., Halifax) or attend virtually!
To attend in person or virtually, please RSVP to: Morgan Paterson at m.paterson@hospicehalifax.ca or call Hospice Halifax (902) 446-0929
March Topic:
End-of-life caregivers deal with the interplay between responsibilities, personal needs, and various other relationships simultaneously. How do we give to our loved one, other stakeholders, and ourselves all at the same time?
Our speakers will use the visualization of a dancefloor as a useful analogy for end-of-life caregiving, showing how caregivers can be empowered to move around the room with bearing.
Join us in exploring this analogy that we have found very effective in our personal lives as well as in our roles as direct support staff.
About our speakers:
Dawn McLaughlin (she/her) is a graduate of Acadia University and Kelowna College of Professional Counsellors. She is the Director of Resident Services at Regional Resident Services Society (RRSS) supporting adults with complex needs and building capacity for team members in end-of-life matters and palliative care.
Dawn co-chairs the End-of-Life Committee in supporting the RRSS community in loss and palliative home supports, and she volunteers as a Bereavement Counsellor with Hospice Halifax.
Lori-Anne Coffin is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University where she completed a degree in Human Nutrition. Lori-Anne is a full-time counsellor with RRSS, providing direct support to adults with intellectual challenges.
Lori-Anne has completed her End-of-Life Doula course through Douglas College and co-chairs the RRSS End-of-Life Committee with Dawn, providing support to colleagues who are faced with supporting individuals with end-of-life care. Lori-Anne has also volunteered with Hospice Halifax in various capacities.
When: April 9, 2025, 7-8:30pm
Where: Hospice Halifax (618 Francklyn St., Halifax) or attend virtually!
To attend in person or virtually, please complete the registration form here or call us at (902) 446-0929
April Topic: Getting More Comfortable With Death and Grief: Taboos, Stigmas, and Ways Forward
Why is it hard to talk about death and dying? Why do so many struggle with grief in isolation? Why is it hard to seek support?
Learn about the ways taboos and stigmas affect our relationships with death and grief and how we can contribute to a more helpful way forward for our society.
About Our Speaker:
Mary Ellen Macdonald, PhD, is a Professor in the Division of Palliative Medicine at Dalhousie University, where she holds the J & W Murphy Foundation Endowed Chair in Palliative Care. She is also a Nova Scotia Health Affiliate Scientist (Research). Mary Ellen is well known in the grief community for co-founding Grief Matters (griefmatters.ca), a national non-profit organization that aims to improve how we understand and make room for grief, using creative, community-based activities.
