Why give
Over 2,500 adults, youth and children are cared for each year by the team of health-care professionals at the Temmy Latner Centre. We are one of Canada’s largest centres for palliative care, and we have pioneered a number of innovative programs that have provided profound end-of-life care and grief support to families.
“We help people who are dying and those who are caring for them by providing around-the clock medical care in their homes, by coordinating care with other agencies and by supporting grieving families,” says Dr. Russell Goldman, Director of the Temmy Latner Centre. Our physicians help manage a patient’s pain and other symptoms, coordinate their care, and support, and educate both patient and family.
When you give to the Temmy Latner Centre, you are allowing us to help individuals and families through some of their most difficult times. Whether that means providing home palliative care for a dying patient, support and end-of-life education for the family members of a dying loved one, or much-needed help for children and young adults grieving the death of a family member, you are helping us help families when they need us most.
“Dr. Kendal was my saviour,” recalls Mrs. Zuckerman. One of our home-based doctors, Dr. David Kendal made regular house calls and provided support and care, not only for the ailing Mr. Zuckerman, but the whole family. “He answered my questions, he spoke to my kids and told them what was going on,” says Mrs. Zuckerman. “Dr. Kendal helped me find trained people to look after my husband. Before that, I was afraid to leave the house." (To read more about what families have to say about our services, click here.)
To illustrate how our leadership in the field of palliative and end-of-life care has affected people near and far, we have listed below some of our accomplishments and innovations to date. Help us add to this list and have an even greater impact on those living with a terminal illness by donating today.
Clinical excellence
- We were the first palliative care program to offer an organized home-based palliative care program in Ontario (and are now the largest in North America)
Our work stimulated the development of A Model to Guide Hospice Palliative Care: Based on National Principles and Norms of Practice. It is a comprehensive guide for developing new and existing hospice palliative care programs and services in Canada.
- We assisted Accreditation Canada in the development of accreditation standards for palliative care in health-care institutions.
- We share our knowledge and experience with other countries to help them develop their own palliative care programs, including Brazil, Thailand, Malawi and Trinidad and Tobago.
We collaborated with Casey House Hospice to develop the Palliative Care Module for the Health Canada-funded Comprehensive Guide for the Care of Persons Living with HIV. This guide was designed for health-care professionals in all disciplines to enhance their skills in providing palliative care for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Education and research
- We have played a key role in developing many education programs that have achieved local, provincial, and national prominence including End-of-Life Care Distance Education — an award-winning program for family physicians funded by the Ministry of Health.
- We provided leadership for Educating Future Physicians in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, a project launched to ensure every medical student and resident graduates with knowledge, skills and appropriate attitudes in end-of-life care.
- We founded The Science and Art of Pain and Symptom Management Conference, an educational event for health-care professionals and medical students focused on the latest developments in pain and symptom management for palliative and end-of-life care.
- We offered a Palliative Care Residency Program before the current Conjoint Palliative Medicine Program was developed at the University of Toronto.
- We continually share our experience and learnings by presenting at conferences, writing for textbooks, and publishing articles in journals.
- We lead and collaborate in multiple research projects that aim to improve the care provided to patients and families.
Advocacy
We played a major role in the establishment of palliative care associations and networks covering the Toronto region, including the Toronto Central Palliative Care Network. This network provides the leadership and structure to facilitate the development of a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated system of hospice palliative care for the Toronto Central region.
