Palliative Care is an approach to care that focuses on improving quality of life, managing pain/distressing symptoms and providing a support system to help people living with life-limiting illnesses live their lives as actively as possible.
Palliative Care services should be integrated into your care plan as early as possible. Many people believe that a palliative care approach is the same as end-of-life care. This is a myth! You can still be receiving active treatment for an illness, and your palliative care team will partner with you to manage pain and symptoms, and help you with advance care planning.
Our multi-professional palliative care team consists of palliative care physicians, Palliative Registered Nurse Coordinators, a Clinical Practice Lead (CPL) and nurses. Our team is also supported by many other health professionals including social work, spiritual care, speech language pathology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and registered dietitians.
Thank you, Mr. Rowntree!
Coming soon: Bryan and Bette Rowntree Palliative Care Clinical Centre
Inpatient Palliative Care
For patients with a life-limiting illness who are staying on one of our inpatient units, our palliative care team is here to provide assessment, consultation, support, and end-of-life care. The palliative care team will work closely with the patient, their loved ones, and health care team on the unit to support managing pain and other physical and/or emotional symptoms.
At our General hospital, we have a dedicated Inpatient Palliative Care Unit that is staffed and supported by our interprofessional health care team.
- Reside in the Scarborough area or have previously received care at SHN
- Require specialized symptom management or acute supportive care for an underlying illness
- Have an expected length of stay that is less than 30 days
- Agrees with the philosophy of a palliative approach to care
- Need support in their final days of life – coming from one of our inpatient units or directly admitted from home
Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic
We have Outpatient Palliative Care Clinics at Centenary and General that help people who are living at home manage their symptoms and participate in advance care planning. Our goal is to enable those facing life-limiting illness to live more fully, with comfort and dignity.
We offer compassionate and coordinated care:
- Expertise in pain and symptom management, including assessment, consultation and treatment, and ongoing follow-up care as needed for fatigue, depression, nausea, shortness of breath, etc.
- Advance care planning to help you in discussing decisions around what you would like for your future health and personal care
- Supportive care, counselling and multi-faith services to aid you and your family in coping with grief, anxiety and stress
- Referrals and links to community supports
- Assistance in facilitating admission into a palliative care unit when appropriate
Visits can be in-person, by phone or video conference
If you would like to be seen at our Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic, please have your primary care provider refer you through Ocean, Epic or complete our referral form and fax it to 647-598-4003.
Questions?
Please call 416-438-2911 ext. 3068 to speak with one of our Palliative Coordinators.
We collaborate closely with our partners, working together to provide comprehensive, seamless palliative care for the Scarborough community.
Contact any of us for more information regarding our Scarborough Palliative Care Collaborative Partners:
- Scarborough Health Network Palliative Care Team
- Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities: Palliative Care Community Team
- Yee Hong P.K. Kwok Hospice: Peter K. Kwok Hospice
- Home Care and Community Care Support Services