June 26, 2023
The London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP) at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) considers patients wellness needs while going through cancer treatment at the centre.
The ability to feel well and supported can be an important component during the cancer treatment process. Cancer wellness helps address other needs besides a person’s cancer treatment and empowers them to be involved in their care journey.
“We have a welcome information package for all patients who receive treatment through LRCP that helps patients navigate their care journey,” explains Sue Rieger, Manager, Regional Cancer Services. “We provide a variety of resources for them to use during their care experience, including information about the Patient Assistance Program.” Social workers and nurses in the program also inform patients of resources they can utilize while they are a patient.
All of these efforts, as well as the individual interactions staff and physicians have with patients in the cancer program, are made with patient wellness top of mind.
Patient Assistance Program
Patients undergoing treatment at LRCP can apply to the Patient Assistance Program if they are experiencing financial hardship because of treatment.
“We have seen an increase in need of financial assistance these past few years,” Rieger notes. “We’ve seen more patients with contract work without benefits or sick time, and sometimes a patient’s spouse or caregiver needs to take time off of work to help care for the patient if they are particularly ill.”
Patients who have accessed the Patient Assistance Program have noted their appreciation for the financial help during an already difficult time.
The patient assistance programs are donor funded and are supported by many different donors. There are two funds – the Gene Goodreau Patient Assistance Fund Stewardship and the Massel Cruickshank Patient Assistance Fund Stewardship. There are also a number of patients, when they are finished treatment, who donate back to the program with money, prepaid credit cards, and other gifts to the program to help other patients in their time of need.
When patients from outside London receive treatment at LRCP, there is also an opportunity to receive accommodation support through LRCP’s partnership with the Residence Inn by Marriott in downtown London. For more information about accommodation support, please visit LRCP’s Accommodation webpage.
Chemotherapy suite murals
In 2021, artist Aulora Plommer and generous donor, Trudy Channer, helped realize the vision of LRCP’s Chemotherapy nursing team. Nurses Lilliana Di Cicco and Dawn MacKinnon wanted to create a more welcoming and friendly space for patients when they entered the chemotherapy treatment room.
The artist, LRCP staff, and patient advisors decided on the outdoor concept and adorned the walls with bright yellow flowers, a farm, beach and a city skyline.
The murals have resonated with patients, with staff overhearing conversations where patients talk about memories the paintings bring to mind. The once sterile environment has been brought to life with these images, providing a source of brightness in a stressful time.
Staff and patient advisors care deeply about the patient experience in the cancer program and hope the beautiful images provide a more welcoming environment when visiting the centre for treatment.
You can see more mural photos on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Smilezone in Radiation Therapy
Thanks to the generosity of the David and Leslie Clanachan Family Foundation with the support of Children’s Health Foundation, the Smilezone in Radiation Therapy is a colourful and uplifting space that can ease the anxiety of children and their families, receiving cancer treatment.
Within the Radiation Therapy department, staff members like Jennifer Neeb, Dosimetrist, LRCP, Jessica Csoborko, Radiation Therapist, LRCP, and Jeremy Whiston, Orderly, LRCP, go above and beyond to ensure children feel a sense of welcome and are able to enjoy being a child while having to undergo difficult treatments.
In addition to the welcoming environment created by the Smilezone project, staff have several ways they contribute to their paediatric patients’ wellness by helping to involve them in their care journey:
- Staff create special treatment calendars so paediatric patients can count down each treatment and see how far they have come in the treatment journey.
- Staff create personalized immobilization masks (that may be worn by patients during radiation treatment) with their patients’ favourite characters or designs.
- The patients receive “bravery beads” for each treatment or procedure. These beads can then be used to create a bracelet or necklace for the child to wear.
- Staff hold fundraising events to be able to provide gifts for each child when they’re finished treatment, or for special occasions during their treatment journey in Radiation Therapy.
Watch this video on our Instagram channel to hear more about how staff in LRCP assist in the wellness of paediatric patients while within our walls.
