Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Sexuality and intimacy are central aspects of human life and well-being. Yet, despite a recent movement towards approaching medical care from a holistic perspective, sexuality has often been excluded from our understanding of the individual as a whole. This is especially true within palliative care settings where a patient's sexuality and need for intimacy may seem less imperative than various physical health needs. This two-phase qualitative and arts-based study will examine patient, partner and health care provider perspectives on intimacy and sexuality at end of life, enabling a strengthened understanding of the ways in which we approach conversations about sexuality as it relates to overall well-being throughout the life-course and particularly as we age. Through focus groups with health care providers, interviews with patients and their partners, and an arts based project, it will enable a strengthened understanding of the ways in which health care providers approach conversations about intimacy and sexuality at end-of-life. It will also provide valuable information about patient perspectives on intimacy and sexuality, which will enable improved provision of health care to these individuals as well as a more thorough understanding of the overall experience of death and dying for patients within hospice-based palliative care. Information generated from this work will contribute to the development of tools for patients themselves to engage in broader conversations around sexual identity and intimacy. It will provide an opportunity for decision makers to learn from patients and their loved ones directly about patient needs as they relate to sexuality, intimacy, aging and dying. It will also contribute to the academic literature as it relates to sexuality and aging. Sexual health plays a key role in an individual's overall sense of well-being; this remains consistent at end-of-life, emphasizing an individual's desire to live fully even as they are dyin