Dying to Know Education Series
Our Monthly Education Series.
About The Session
Professional storyteller Kim Kilpatrick co-created short stories based on an idea or theme from conversations with patients, family and friend caregivers, and healthcare providers on the palliative care unit at Bruyère in Ottawa. Kim collaborated with visual and media artist Rachel Gray to create images and a narrated stop-motion film based on these stories from the palliative care unit.
Kim and Rachel will discuss the project of collecting and crafting stories and shaping them into animated film and a storytelling show.
Presenters: Kim Kilpatrick & Rachel Gray
Kim is a professional storyteller who has also worked as a Music Therapist, accessibility consultant, and has worked and volunteered in palliative and long-term care for more than 20 years. She is guided and accompanied by her fifth guide dog, yellow lab, Ginger.
Rachel Gray is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, director, and writer based in Ottawa, Ontario. Working across film, opera, visual art, and performance, she creates immersive, emotionally resonant experiences that center disability aesthetics and access as a generative creative force.
About The Session
Professional storyteller Kim Kilpatrick co-created short stories based on an idea or theme from conversations with patients, family and friend caregivers, and healthcare providers on the palliative care unit at Bruyère in Ottawa. Kim collaborated with visual and media artist Rachel Gray to create images and a narrated stop-motion film based on these stories from the palliative care unit.
Kim & Rachel will read some of the stories collected and crafted on the Bruyere Palliative Care Unit and discuss them in depth. Some of the stories may be explored from different perspectives (patients, caregivers, and staff).
Note: This session can be attended regardless of your attendance at September’s part 1 session.
Presenters: Kim Kilpatrick & Rachel Gray
Kim is a professional storyteller who has also worked as a Music Therapist, accessibility consultant, and has worked and volunteered in palliative and long-term care for more than 20 years. She is guided and accompanied by her fifth guide dog, yellow lab, Ginger.
Rachel Gray is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist, director, and writer based in Ottawa, Ontario. Working across film, opera, visual art, and performance, she creates immersive, emotionally resonant experiences that center disability aesthetics and access as a generative creative force.
About The Session
An informative presentation on recognizing the signs and symptoms of someone who is actively dying and in the final stages of life. This session will provide caregivers, people with advanced illnesses, family members and health care professionals, with the knowledge needed to identify physical, emotional, and behavioural changes as people near the end of life.
Presenter: Natalie Mahon
Natalie is a registered nurse with over six years of experience at Rosedale Hospice, where she currently works as the Clinical Nurse Educator. The majority of her nursing career has been in the palliative care field, including the Intensive Palliative Care Unit at Foothills Hospital, and the Rotary Flames House at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She has supported hundreds of individuals in their final months, days, and hours – providing hands-on care, recognizing and managing physical symptoms, and offering emotional and psychological support to patients and their loved ones. Natalie has a passion for helping people die with dignity, and ensuring that families and loved ones feel informed and supported every step of the way.