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Palliative Care Outreach Program The office environment at the Palliative Care OutReach program is proof positive that almost every nickel the organization receives goes toward serving patients and their families. The mish-mash of furniture and office accessories is the first hint. No ornate reception area, plush offices or sprawling boardroom here. Just solid, work-a-day, utilitarian furniture. And that’s quite fitting since most of the organization’s efforts are directed at caring for terminally ill patients in their homes, rather than in an office atmosphere. The goal of the Palliative Care OutReach Program is simple: provide pain and symptom management to assist in the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of both terminally patients and their families. What’s unique is how that goal is achieved. Dr. Margaret Farncombe, the Program’s Medical Director, founded the program after observing how palliative care was delivered in an academic centre and in hospice centres. She believed that terminally ill patients could be better treated and made more comfortable in they remained in their homes and their families received training to assist in the care and decision-making of their loved ones. Despite a plethora of naysayers and without government or hospital support, the Program launched in October 1997. The Program has been successful far beyond initial expectations. Today a physician-led team of trained nurses, additional treatment specialists and a dedicated support staff provides medical coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for patients within the Program. The Palliative Care OutReach Program delivers the following services:
The OutCare Foundation has a long-standing relationship with the Program and is very supportive of the extraordinary services the organization delivers to families throughout our region. To date the Foundation has provided grants and seed funding totaling more than $115,000 to the Palliative Care OutReach Program. For more information about the Program, please visit www.palliativeoutreach.ca. |