Cowichan Valley project uplifts mental health in patients living with terminal illness

Living with terminal illness, especially when the diagnosis is unexpected, can cause many patients to spiral into crisis. With symptoms like anxiety and depression taking root in patients, there is more than just their physical illness impacting their quality of life. Shared Care’s Living Consciously with Terminal Illness project is actively working to address this gap.

Approved in summer 2024 and operated by the Cowichan Valley Primary Care Society, the group is hoping to leverage MSP-funded group medical visits and virtual care, with group sessions to improve the quality of life for patients living with terminal illnesses.

It’s the group setting that really makes a difference, explains Andrea Lemp, a registered nurse and project team member. While everyone experiences a terminal diagnosis in different ways, the sense of fear and isolation is lessened by sharing this journey in connection with others who may be going through a similar experience.

“We watched as patients, in community, embrace that there are still some things that they can do to help create balance, and a sense of ease and joy in their lives,” adds Ms Lemp.

The project team is focused on first gaining a level of understanding of their own communities’ current needs. Through discussions with physician colleagues, Indigenous communities, BC Cancer, and others, they hope to learn which needs are most urgent in the Cowichan Valley and determine where the project can offer support.

The project team is also optimistic that the program can be seen as an option in addition to medical assistance in dying (MAiD), as it may help patients gain a new lease on life through the group interactions and shared experience of living with a terminal illness.

“Patients often feel lost—they do not know what lies on the road ahead. They often feel they lose agency over their lives. The distress can greatly reduce their quality of life,” says Dr Valoria Masuda, a palliative care physician and clinical project lead.

Today, there are three programs accepting referrals, with group sessions scheduled when enough patients have enrolled:

• PreFatal Classes – Knowledge is Power: this session focuses on sharing information about the “road ahead” in the care journey of patients who have been diagnosed with terminal illness in an effort to reduce fear or anxiety stemming from the unknown.
• A New Beginning Without End: this session helps patients dealing with a troubled sense of identity following a terminal diagnosis through mindfulness exercises and wisdom stories.
• Best Three Months: this session asks patients to engage in meditation and group discussion to paint a picture of their top priorities if they only had three months left to live.

To learn more about the project and group sessions offered, visit the SATA Center for Conscious Living website.

This project is funded by Shared Care, a joint collaborative committee representing a partnership between Doctors of BC and the Government of BC.