Genevieve Thompson

Genevieve Thompson, a Manitoba dementia researcher and an assistant professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba, is researching how well people live and die in personal care homes. She is looking to find out how to provide the best end-of-life care possible.

People who work in personal care homes need to learn how to communicate better regarding what to expect during the dying process, especially when it becomes difficult to talk with the person living with Alzheimer’s.

 “Families want to be warned about what is to come. Nurses and front line caregivers are averse to using the ‘D’ word. We aren’t communicating well with those affected by dementia and their families, we don’t always let them know what to expect,” Thompson says.

Thompson has talked to the nurses and health care aides who work in palliative care facilities to learn from their experiences. “I have tried to tap into their knowledge to understand what it’s like to care for someone suffering from the disease at the end of their life. How are the challenges similar? How do they differ?”

Thompson will also spend time speaking with families who have lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s. “I want to know what the families asked the health care professionals. I also want to know what they wished they asked. What was missed?”
Thompson’s research involves getting the word out on how to provide the best care for end of life. The plan is to put together a one-page question prompt sheet based on the answers she gets from her interviews. The prompt sheet will allow caregivers to make better, more informed decisions when it comes to the care that is provided to someone dying with dementia.

“We can tailor the information that we receive to help where a family needs it.”

When all the data is processed, Thompson will host an intervention trial where the data sheet will be distributed to certain personal care homes and not to others, where she will watch the difference that the sheet makes.

 “My hope is that everybody is treated with respect and kindness and dies while receiving impeccable palliative treatment.”

Back to Manitoba Research