Lakehead University researcher Mary Lou Kelley has received two awards for her work in palliative care but she says the one from her home community means so much more.
City council presented Kelley with the Citizens of Exception Achievement award at Monday night’s meeting for her research in palliative care. She also received a similar award last year from the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.
Having received both awards, she said it means much more to her that she’s being recognized in her home community.
“I think it’s really, really exciting to be recognized in my home community for the work that we have done in research at Lakehead University,” Kelley said.
“I got the national award and that’s what triggered the local committee for this recognition. The work I do is based in Northwestern Ontario and I work with the health-care providers in Northwestern Ontario so it’s really special to get this award locally.”
Kelley’s research has focused on helping the elderly who are approaching the end of their lives. Kelley’s work has taken her from Thunder Bay to remote First Nation communities as well.
Kelley said rural and remote areas have had poor access to palliative care but since she started her work back in 1992, care has improved. For example, there are now palliative care programs and long-term care homes and people have the choice to die at home if that’s their choice, she said.
“Palliative care wasn’t being taught to health-care professionals very extensively and it wasn’t really understood by the public,” she said. “We began in 1992 with education. We were funded to educate health-care professionals around Northwestern Ontario on what palliative care was and how to do it.
It’s a specialized philosophy of care that really focuses on pain and symptom management when death is inevitable.”
