THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES OF COMPLEX CARE FOR CHILDREN

Breaking the Boundaries of Complex Care for Children

Complex care is a real interest of mine. We gave complex care at home to our son for 23 years and now his care is delivered by one to one nurses at a nearby care home. My Mom’s care is becoming increasingly complex – she is 94 and progressively more frail. Complex care is described this way by one Ontario hospital group: Complex Care is a part of the health services continuum designed to provide medical management, skilled nursing and a range of interdisciplinary, diagnostic, therapeutic and technological services to achieve patient identified goals and optimize the quality of life of individuals who have a chronic complex condition.
The Complex Care Initiative at Sick Kids began in 2006, by the late pediatrician Dr. Norman Saunders. For ten years it has opened its doors to children with multiple and complex health challenges, often to those who could not find adequate care anywhere else.
For Ian Brown’s 19-year-old son, Walker who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at birth, the care provided more than just resources to manage his health. It was the first time his son was not just treated as a patient, or problem to be fixed, but a human being.
Interviewed:
Dr. Denis Daneman, paediatrician-in-chief at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and expert advisor with EvidenceNetwork.ca, explains what the initiative tries to achieve.
Ian Brown is a Canadian journalist and author, winner of several national magazine and newspaper awards.
Interview by Dane Wanniarachige, journalist intern at EvidenceNetwork.ca.
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