Links
Find more information on palliative care and the early palliative care pathway for advanced colorectal cancer care
Cancer Guidelines (Cancer Care Alberta)
The Guideline Resource Unit (GURU) coordinates the development of guidelines for cancer treatment and follow-up care in collaboration with the thirteen Provincial Tumour Teams in Alberta. The recommendations contained in these guidelines are a consensus of the relevant Provincial Tumour Team synthesis of currently accepted approaches to treatment, supportive care and follow up, which have been derived from a review of relevant scientific literature.
Alberta Health Services Palliative and End of Life Care
Learn more about palliative care, find services in your Zone, view additional resources, and hear stories of how palliative and end of life care is making a difference for Albertans.
Supportive Care and Living Well, Cancer Care Alberta
Learn more about supportive care services available to assist in living well with and beyond cancer.
Go to Cancer Care Alberta's Supportive Care & Living Well site
Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM)
Learn more about the Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM) program, a counselling approach for those diagnosed with advanced cancer.
Bridges: Janet's Story
“Every day, I make sure that people understand they can prepare, and they can make choices, and they can live well with their advanced disease as the end of their life unfolds.” – Janet Vandale
Check out a new PaCES-inspired digital story called Bridges: Janet's Story. Janet Vandale, Clinical Nurse Specialist, is the early palliative care consultant for the PaCES program. In this story, Janet shares her professional and personal reflections on how palliative care, delivered early in the trajectory of a person’s serious illness, contributes to meaning, comfort and calm as they live the last part of their life.
Speaking Up: Tim's Story
This digital story is about one man choosing to speak up for those with lung cancer after his own “terminal” diagnosis. Tim is a patient advisor with the PaCES program. In his story, Tim emphasizes how important it is to amplify the voices of underserved populations within the healthcare system who are not always able to speak for themselves. Together, patient advisors and oncology care professionals can work together to create a more equitable system and improve the palliative care services for those who will need them.
Right Words… Right Time – Jane’s Story
This digital story is about the experience of one woman and her family as she navigates the challenges of a “terminal” lung cancer diagnosis. Jane is a patient advisor with the PaCES program. Her story demonstrates how the language of palliative care can have a significant influence on someone’s experience and explores how an early and systematic referral pathway to supportive palliative care services could improve the patient and family experience.
Safiya's Story - “The best use of what we have”
In this digital story, Safiya, a medical oncologist and PaCES Collaborative Member, discusses her experience discovering her passion for oncology, the importance of monitoring her patients' symptoms via the use of patient-reported outcome information, and how important it has been to have this information ahead of her clinical appointments. “I have seen firsthand how patient-reported outcomes could help us provide better care. Quality oncology care is not just about finding the next more effective drug, it is also about making the best use of our current therapies and resources we have, by partnering with patients and families in their care.”
PEP Talks: Palliative Care with Sadia Ahmed
Listen to Episode 3 of "PEP Talks", Alberta SPOR Support Unit's patient engagement podcast, featuring Sadia Ahmed, Master of Science candidate in the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary. In this episode, Sadia reflects on her research into early palliative care with the PaCES project, engaging patients in health research, and her graduate school experience.
Using Advanced Cancer Shared Care Letters
What are Advanced Cancer Shared Care Letters?
As part of the PaCES project, Advanced Cancer Shared Care letters were developed to foster collaborative care between a person's oncology team and their family physician. A letter is sent from the oncologist to the family doctor at diagnosis of advanced cancer or with the start of palliative intent therapy, inviting the family physician to collaborate and share in the palliative approach to care. The family physician is asked to complete a short form about elements they are addressing, and encourages ongoing information-sharing. A companion handout is provided to the patient at the same time.
Watch our videos!
The PaCES team has developed the following videos to support use of the shared care letters:
Part 1: Introduction to shared care letters
Part 2: Discussing the shared care letter
Palliative care tip sheets
Elements of an Early Palliative Approach to Care
Palliative Care Fact of the Month, April 2019