FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CANADA'S FIRST GUIDE FOR CAREGIVERS PROVIDING END-OF-LIFE CARE LAUNCHED TODAY

"Living Lessons ® - A Guide for Caregivers" Launched During National Hospice Palliative Care Week

OTTAWA, ON (May 8, 2002) - Each year, more than three million Canadians provide care for loved ones facing end-of-life illnesses - an experience they are rarely prepared for. Living Lessons ® - A Guide for Caregivers, released today as part of National Hospice Palliative Care Week, is the first-ever guide with practical advice and a collection of compelling personal stories to support caregivers at this emotional and stressful time.

The guide is part of Living Lessons, a national initiative created to promote the understanding, support and better access to high-quality end-of-life care in Canada. It is the latest in a series of resources developed by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. The guide provides concrete tips to support other caregivers and features the real-life experiences of eight Canadians, all of whom have served or are serving as the primary caregivers for loved ones suffering from end-of-life illnesses.

"Caring for a loved one with a life-ending illness is a demanding, intense, stressful and emotionally draining experience - and I had to go through it all alone and unprepared," says Jacqueline Thorney, one of the eight caregivers profiled in Living Lessons - A Guide for Caregivers, who discovered hospice palliative care services only after her husband, Jim, died.

"Sharing our personal experiences and lessons learned in the guide was very important to us so that caregivers - now and in the future - would know there is support available to them during this time and, most importantly, that they are not alone. I could have used that," adds Thorney.

In addition to personal reflections offered by caregivers, Living Lessons - A Guide for Caregivers contains practical information and advice covering such topics as Caring For Your Loved One, Caring for Yourself, and Establishing Your Support Networks.

In a 1997 national Ipsos Reid survey, only 53 per cent of Canadians had heard of hospice palliative care and just six per cent felt that they could adequately care for a loved one facing a life-threatening illness without outside assistance. Hospice palliative care concentrates on relieving physical pain and symptoms in combination with offering emotional, social and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones.

"Hospice palliative care is about options and choices - choosing the kind of care that meets a person's particular needs during a very difficult time and takes into account his or her illness and family situations," says Sharon Baxter, Executive Director of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.

"The association's purpose is to ensure all Canadians are aware of and talk to their loved ones about end-of-life issues, care options and choices. So, where Jacqueline had to struggle on her own, A Guide for Caregivers will help fill the knowledge gap among generations of caregivers to come," adds Baxter.

While millions of Canadians currently act as primary caregivers to a loved one suffering from an end-of-life illness, more than 80 per cent are doing so without the support of skilled hospice palliative care.

"Living Lessons - A Guide for Caregivers will help many Canadians now and for years to come. And the Living Lessons initiative will continue to encourage Canadians to talk about hospice palliative care and hopefully encourage them to become grassroots advocates for increased hospice palliative care funding, resources, training and expertise in their communities," says Leanne Kitchen of The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation which helps fund the Living Lessons program including, Living Lessons - A Guide for Caregivers.

For a copy of the Guide or for more information about Living Lessons, please call 1-877-203-INFO or visit www.living-lessons.org.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Scott MacFadyen, Tanya Wymer

Edelman Public Relations

Tel.: 416-979-1120

Alison Steeves

GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

Tel: 905-819-3452