Poster Subject: Health Studies

Poster Title: Palliative Care in Canadian Prisons

Bio: Katie Oldford (She/Her) is a medical student in her third year of training and her ninth year of post-secondary education. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry with a minor in Archaeology from MUN, and a MPH from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently an MD candidate at MUN. Katie has completed research in biochemistry, completed her masters practicum in the area of food insecurity, and is interested in working with underserved populations in her career as a physician. 

Abstract: As Canada’s general population ages, so does its prison population, with a quarter of federal inmates now aged 50 or older. Due to factors like substance use, limited medical care before incarceration, and higher rates of chronic illness, incarcerated individuals are often considered “older” by about 10 years compared to the general population. This aging trend is increasing the demand for palliative care in Canadian prisons. This study describes available palliative care options, including in-prison care, compassionate release for community care, and medical assistance in dying. Search protocols using PubMED and Google provided relevant literature, which was analyzed for themes in Covidence. Findings highlight the challenges of aligning palliative care with incarceration goals, issues of consent to assisted dying, and the potential benefits of decarceration as inmates age.

Corresponding Author's Email: cso484@mun.ca