The Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultation Program, Southwestern Ontario, provides service providers, in-home care agencies (South West Local Health Integration Network - Home and Community Care and contracted providers), long-term care homes, community support services and doctors, access to palliative pain and symptom management nurse consultant/educator providing consultation, education, mentorship and linkages to palliative care resources across the continuum of care.
Education and consultation to service providers offering end-of-life care sessions includes basic and advance palliative-care training consultation regarding pain and symptom management.
The Palliative Pain and Symptom Management consultant:
- Assists service providers in the application of the Model to Guide Hospice Palliative Care, assessment tools and best practice guidelines
- Offers consultation to service providers in person, by telephone, by video-conference, or through e-mail regarding care (e.g. assessment and management of pain and other symptoms)
- Provides case-based education and mentoring for service providers
- Helps build capacity amongst front line service providers in the delivery of palliative care
- Links providers with specialized hospice palliative care resources.
The service does not provide direct client/patient assessment or care planning. As part of an education/coaching activity with a service provider a client/patient may be present, however, the service provider remains the one responsible for the care.
