Frequently Asked Questions
We know palliative care can be confusing. See below for a list of answers to frequently asked questions. And if you still can’t find what you’re looking for, contact us and we’ll be happy to help you.
The World Health Organization defines palliative care as “an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.”
While cancer diagnoses represent approximately 69% of our admissions, non-cancer diagnoses including ALS, renal disease, dementia, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and other illnesses are also common. See our admissions page to learn more about eligibility.
The Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence is an independent, community-based, non-profit institution, accredited by the Quebec government to provide palliative care services to residents of Montreal. The Residence allows terminally ill patients to live their final days in comfort and with dignity in a warm, home-like environment, close to their family, and in their community. The Residence is the largest freestanding palliative care residence in Canada. Our services are provided without charge.
Our admission process has been designed to transfer the burden away from the patients and their families, into the hands of the patient’s treating health care team. As a first step, the patient, family member, or primary caregiver must make a verbal request to the patient’s treating health care team (usually a nurse, social worker or physician). Letting someone know that you are considering a transfer to the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence is your only responsibility. Everything else will be taken over by the patient’s treating health care team.
Yes! In pre-COVID times, family members, friends and pets have been welcomed to come visit their loved ones, required to enter and exit by our front door and, for safety reasons, signing in and out of our logbook. Since COVID and following government guidelines, we have had to adjust our visiting policy with some restrictions. For more information and the most current visiting practices, please contact admissions.
See visiting hours on our contact page, and please check COVID-19 restrictions before you arrive.
The Residence is always looking for people with a heart of gold and a smile that can light up a room! If you would like to be part of this exceptional group of people, fill out the application form, and we will contact you shortly to find the right fit. If you have any questions, please call 514 693-1718, ext. 264.
As leaders in palliative care medicine, we understand that our patients aren’t the only people who need our care and attention. Since opening our doors in 2002, it’s been our mission to provide safe, bereavement support groups in English and French for adults, teens and young children who are dealing with the death of a loved one. Visit our bereavement support page for more information.
If you want to honour someone special by making a donation in their memory to the Teresa Dellar Palliative Care Residence, please visit our donations page. Please note that, unless advised otherwise, a card acknowledging your gift will be sent to the family on your behalf.
As a registered non-profit charity (charity number 862444908RR0001), the Residence relies on community support and fundraising activities to raise more than $4.5 million each year, which complements our government subsidy. It is the Foundation Board’s responsibility is to ensure financial security, such that day to day operations are guaranteed and that future funding is assured. In order to provide our first-class services at no cost to the patients and their families, we need your support. To find out how you can support the Foundation, please visit our donations page.