VP-NET Vulnerable Persons and End of Life New Emerging Team
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The Research Themes

Many people face barriers to palliative and end of life care in Canada.1 VP-NET is exploring the experiences of people who encounter these barriers because of their vulnerability in Canadian society. We are looking at barriers that affect people’s access to palliative care regardless of their specific impairment or illness. VP-Net’s research aims to learn about socially-constructed vulnerability from the perspective of people with disabilities. Their experiences with socially constructed vulnerability in end of life care situations will help us to learn valuable lessons that can be applied to other vulnerabilities, such as poverty, racial disparity, gender, the southern poor, and many others.
 
Our research examines access to and experiences of palliative care from four thematic vantage points, i.e. clinical, ethical, political and societal. Combining these perspectives enables us to harness the unique and valid insights each viewpoint brings to the research and document and produce a holistic view of end of life care for vulnerable populations.

Early results of VP-Net's research suggest that in instances where a person is close to the end of their lives, palliative care can become a useful tool and providers of palliative care useful allies in assisting everyone to live a good life to the end. People who work in palliative care and the wider medical community in general can be allies with the disability community in educating the public about how fulfilling and rich life with a disability can be when proper supports and resources are available.

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