MONTREAL, April 25, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - In the spring of
1990, the Canadian Cancer Society's Jacques-Cantin Lodge welcomed
its first guests. Now, 25 years later, this lodge, which is open
seven days a week, receives more than 600 autonomous persons
(patients and caregivers) from outside of Montreal as they come into the city for their
cancer treatment.
In 2015, around 16,500 Quebecers living with cancer will have to
travel for their treatment. In addition, half of all people living
with cancer need to undergo radiation therapy. This treatment is
given every day over a long period of time. In many areas in
Quebec, this treatment is offered
far away from home. The same applies to patients who need certain
types of chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants or specialized
surgery or need to participate in an experimental research
protocol.
Cancer is often associated with stress and
worries
It's well known that cancer treatment can be an
ordeal, both physically and psychologically. If, on top of this,
patients must leave their homes, things will perhaps appear even
worse to them.
"Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't live in
Montreal and must go there for
treatment. Often, he or she doesn't know the city very well and is
probably staying there for so long for the first time. This person
finds himself or herself in a busy and impersonal hospital. In
addition to having to find an accommodation for the duration of
their treatment, these men and women will often be alone in facing
the pain and fear of cancer, far from their family and friends.
They're often going to be tired, and perhaps feel even sicker than
before," says Lisa Corbeil,
counselling psychologist in the CCS's psychosocial support team.
"The Jacques-Cantin Lodge takes into account the needs of people
living with cancer and their loved ones beyond cancer treatment.
This service is part of the Canadian Cancer Society's overall
effort to enhance the quality of life of these people financially,
socially and psychologically. Ultimately, the Jacques-Cantin Lodge
contributes to reducing stress, even psychological
distress."
At the Jacques-Cantin Lodge, a team of volunteers and employees
do everything they can around the clock, seven days a week, to make
residents feel at home. Residents can also share their experience
with other people facing the same situation, enjoy activities on
the premises, go out on excursions and have people around them all
the time.
"Given room, board and accompanied on a daily basis by attentive
volunteers, our residents receive a lot of support and reassurance
at a very small cost," says Sébastien Lévesque, coordinator of the
CCS's Jacques-Cantin Lodge. "Studies show that the most common
needs of people living cancer, which require a great deal of
investment in time and money, are accommodation, transportation and
parking. At the Jacques-Cantin Lodge, guests enjoy accommodation at
nominal rates and are also driven by volunteers to their treatment
centres, which saves them a lot of stress and planning."
The Canadian Cancer Society and the Ministère de la Santé et
des Services sociaux pay two-thirds of the cost to make the
accommodation very affordable: people living with cancer are
offered room and board for as little as $27 per day. An additional fee of $5 may be charged for transportation to treatment
centres.
The Jacques-Cantin Lodge has 29 rooms and all that we'd want to
find in a residence: a dining room, game room, library, relaxation
lounge, exercise room, several television lounges and a home
cinema. Special attention has been given to the needs of residents.
The objective is to provide them with all the necessary comforts as
well as the cozy feeling of home.
The Jacques-Cantin Lodge welcomes people from all over
Quebec. Our residents are mostly
from the Laurentians, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Laval/Lanaudière. The Jacques-Cantin Lodge
also receives guests from Mauricie, Outaouais, Southwest Quebec and the Richelieu/Yamaska area. "It even offers accommodation to
Montrealers who can't commute between their home and the treatment
centre where radiation therapy is given," adds Sébastien
Lévesque.
On its 15th anniversary, the CCS named its residence
the Jacques-Cantin Lodge after the eminent surgical oncologist who
had volunteered with the organization for 30 years and dedicated
his life to the fight against cancer. Incidentally, he died from
cancer.
The Jacques-Cantin Lodge in numbers (average of the last three
years, from 2012 to 2014):
- 29 rooms with a capacity to lodge 50 guests
- More than 1,800 stays, from two days to several days totalling
10,200 days annually
- The average stay of a resident is 19 days
- 91,000 meals served
- More than 9,700 trips to treatment centres
- The clientele at the Jacques-Cantin Lodge consists of people
living with various cancers (at least 40 types: breast, lung,
colorectal and prostate cancer and lymphoma being the most
common)
Every day, the Canadian Cancer Society works to save more lives.
With the support of thousands of Quebecers, donors and volunteers,
we fight to prevent more cancers, enable our researchers to make
more discoveries and help more people touched by the disease.
Let's save more lives. Visit cancer.ca or call
us at 1 888 939-3333.
SOURCE Canadian Cancer Society, Quebec Division