Supportive and Palliative Care
Palliative care is a type of specialized medical care. A lot of research has been done over the last 50 years. It shows that palliative care can help patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers feel better during treatment. In many cases, this type of care helps patients live longer. International guidelines suggest that the best cancer care includes early integrated palliative care – and growing evidence backs this up.
The MUHC’s Division of Supportive and Palliative Care is a Level Four supra-regional centre. We are designated to serve patients from across Quebec who are facing life-threatening illness. We start at the time of diagnosis and continue to the end of illness.
Our services focus on the unique needs of our patients. They are delivered using a family-centered approach. We offer:
Supportive Care Clinics
These clinics aim to improve quality of life for patients living with cancer and their caregivers. This is done through symptom management and by focusing on the psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of their patients. Our team includes palliative care physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, radiation oncologists, physiotherapists or occupational therapists, and experts in medical cannabis.
Psychosocial Oncology
This service is made up of a team of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and nurses. They help patients and their family members deal with and manage the feelings of defeat, anger, sadness, guilt and anxiety that can be a part of a cancer experience.
Cancer Rehabilitation
This clinic empowers patients to improve their quality of life. The team helps people who are experiencing loss of function, fatigue, malnutrition, psychological distress, and other symptoms due to cancer or its treatments. The team includes physicians, nurses, kinesiologists, and dietitians.
Lymphedema Clinic
This clinic is the only designated international lymphatic centre of excellence in Canada. It treats patients with complex lymphedema care issues following cancer treatment. A team of physicians, surgeons, and lymphedema therapists evaluate, diagnose, and provide tailored intervention plans for the management of lymphedema.