Psychosocial and Palliative Care
Psychosocial and palliative care is whole-person care for patients and their families when they are facing a potentially life-limiting and life threatening illness.
Palliative care is an important element at any point in the continuum of care, from diagnosis through to survivorship or end of life. The aim of palliative care is to prevent and alleviate symptoms and suffering, while striving to promote an excellent quality of life.
Palliative care may be introduced alongside other therapies intended to cure or modify disease. When curative treatments are no longer effective, palliative care may become the main focus of care for patients and families.
The Cancer Care Ontario Palliative Care Strategy states that every person living in Ontario, when faced with a cancer diagnosis, should have the opportunity to:
- Receive optimal symptom management
- Be supported with dignity and respect throughout the course of his/her illness.
Accessing Palliative Care in Central East Region
In the Central East Region, palliative care can be provided in the home through organizations that provide palliative care services, in a palliative care unit within a hospital or in a long-term care home.
In our Region palliative care services in the home are accessed through the Central East Community Care Access Centre (CCAC).
(To learn more about palliative care in our region, read the Central East Local Health Integration Network (CELHIN) Palliative Care Strategy. The CELHIN also offers professional education to primary care providers through the Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care and End of Life Care Program (LEAP).
First Nations, Inuit and Metis - Services and Support
In the Central East region, there is an Aboriginal Patient Navigator who can help your Aboriginal patients to navigate the cancer system, including accessing supportive and palliative care. For more information, contact 905-576-8711 ext. 2554
The Central East Aboriginal Cancer Plan, developed in collaborative partnership with Cancer Care Ontario is designed to improve cancer services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis (FNIM) peoples.