TELE-MEDICINE FOR PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS

The Champlain health region, including Ottawa, has the lowest rates in the province of people dying in the hospital, but even those numbers are too high, say health officials.

When surveyed, 70 per cent of people in the province have said they would prefer to die at home, yet nowhere near that number do.

In the Champlain LHIN, about 45 per cent of deaths occur in hospitals. An additional 17 per cent of people die in long-term care, which means fewer than 40 per cent of deaths happen at home or in hospices.

The Champlain numbers compare favourably to the rest of the province — almost 60 per cent of residents in the Toronto Central health region, for example, die in hospital.

Still, the Champlain LHIN is investing in helping more people die where they want to.

Improved palliative care in settings of choice for patients is a priority of the Champlain LHIN, said spokesperson Linda Ramsey. “Specifically, we want people to have more options for where they will die.”

Among initiatives are a tele-palliative care pilot project that gives patients a tablet device with which they can be in contact with health-care providers through video conferencing and assessments. As of this month, about 55 patients have participated in the pilot project.

This year, the LHIN is spending half a million dollars on hospice services including services for Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation near Golden Lake and more support for families who have children in palliative care at Roger Nielson House.