People experiencing a life-threatening illness shouldn’t have to contend with their quality of life being threatened as well.
That was the message delivered during the grand opening of North Shore Hospice’s new palliative care hub on Oct. 30, a project that first broke ground earlier this year following a fundraising campaign undertaken by the North Shore Hospice Society and Lions Gate Hospital Foundation that raised $2.3 million.
“The speed in which this got built and open for the community is something that we can all be proud of,” said Jo-Ann Wood, chair of the North Shore Hospice and Palliative Project. “This is British Columbia’s first and only palliative care hub. The completion of these facilities is quite an achievement.”
Palliative care services on the North Shore currently receives around 800 referrals a year, according to Wood.
With the opening of the new palliative care hub, which is connected to the existing North Shore Hospice on East 14th Street in North Vancouver, Wood said she is confident they’ll be able to offer even more support to individuals, families and caregivers in their time of need.
The hub will feature a unique palliative outpatient clinic that will give people facing life-threatening illness, but who haven’t necessarily been admitted to hospice yet, quick access to a team of specialists, such as physicians, nurses, counsellors, occupational therapists and pharmacists, as they attempt to carry on with their lives while contending with a serious illness.
With access to specialist services under one roof, palliative patients will be able to avoid potentially uncomfortable waits in hospital emergency departments and having to shuffle between various locations for treatment, according to Dr. Peter Edmunds, regional medical director for home, community, and palliative care at Vancouver Coastal Health.
“Palliative care is all about trying to help people maximize the quality of their life even as they go through the challenges of a serious illness,” said Edmunds.
The palliative care hub will also bring the joint North Shore Hospice and Palliative Project and Vancouver Coastal Health Every Day Counts program under one roof.
The Every Day Counts program provides free non-medical services – from tai chi, yoga, music therapy, meditation and beyond – to enhance the quality of life for patients facing serious illness, along with their families and caregivers.
“When you’re seriously ill and facing the challenges of a serious illness it can really rob you of the quality of your life,” said Edmunds, adding that the addition of services such as the Every Day Counts program and the outpatient clinic to the already existing hospice will make it easier for patients to access continuous supportive care.
Barbara Gee, who spoke about her experience entering palliative care after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, said she was grateful for the services offered at North Shore Hospice and argued that putting a host of services under one roof with the new care hub would make it easier for all patients to live their best lives as they deal with life-threatening illness.
“I know the mention of palliative care or hospice is really scary, but I’m really glad that I reached out. Although you might not need it today or tomorrow, just knowing it’s there is very, very reassuring,” said Gee.
