New hotline established to help with access to palliative care

Getting the best care, the right care, for friends, family or self isn’t always easy. But the Archdiocese of Toronto is trying to make it easier with the new HopeLine for palliative care support.

As of Nov. 11 a hotline for palliative care information is open thanks to funding from ShareLife and co-ordination from Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Toronto. The HopeLine will be operated by Saint Elizabeth Health Care through its foundation.

By calling 416-619-5700 anybody in the Archdiocese of Toronto area, from Oshawa to Midland to Oakville, can learn more about what palliative care can do for you and your family, how to get access to palliative care services nearby, and how to advocate for better care.

The Palliative Care Hopeline has been established by Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of Toronto Palliative Care Project. The organizers are encouraging people to think of palliative care earlier and to think of palliative care as more than an end-of-life medical intervention. 

“Palliative care meets not only physical needs such as relief of pain and other symptoms, but also aims to meet the psychological, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs of each person and family to live out their remaining time in comfort and dignity,” said a release from the Archdiocese of Toronto. “Palliative care services are helpful not only when a person is approaching death but also during the earlier stages of illness.”

A call to the HopeLine will prompt callers to leave a name, phone number and the location a person is calling from. Working with that information, Saint Elizabeth staff will get back to callers with relevant information.

The operators hope people understand the hotline is not for crisis situations, but for families and individuals trying to plan for hospice and palliative care.