AYA Resources

Advanced Cancer and Palliative Care

On this page you will find resources to help support you in your journey with advanced cancer.

Palliative (Supportive) Care

Palliative (Supportive) care is an area of healthcare that focuses on improving quality of life for people with advanced illness. On this page you will find resources to help support you in your journey with advanced cancer.

AYA Supportive Care Clinic

The AYA supportive care clinic is available to people of all ages and can be involved at any stage of their disease—whether they are pursuing a cure, managing advanced disease, or nearing the end of life.

How can the Supportive Care Clinic help me?
Think of the supportive care team as an added layer of support to help you navigate your disease trajectory. This team will be able to help you in many ways, but some of the most important ones include creating care plans to help with:

• Symptom management: Improve your quality of life by assessing and treating symptoms such as pain, decreased appetite, nausea/vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, shortness of breath, issues with sleep, depression and anxiety, among others.
• Advanced care planning: Advance care planning is a process of reflecting on, communicating, and documenting your preferences for medical treatments and end-of-life care. It allows you to take time to consider your values, goals, and wishes, especially in case you become unable to make decisions for yourself. Through this process, you can share your preferences with your loved ones and healthcare providers, to make sure that your care aligns with your goals and that your wishes are respected.
• Connecting with hospital and community resources and services: These services may include occupational and physical therapy, mental health support from the psychosocial oncology team, nutritional counseling, and home care services, such as nursing and personal support workers.

How can I access the AYA Supportive Care Clinic?

Contact us at aya@uhn.ca if you are interested in learning more.

Online Resources

• Melanie’s Way - Melanie’s way is an organization that grants wishes to young women under 45 diagnosed with a metastatic or relapsed cancer.
• Rethink Breast Cancer: Metastatic Breast Cancer - Metastatic breast cancer is often misunderstood or silenced by those who fear it due to lack of knowledge, information and education.
• Living Out Loud.Life Digital Health Tool - LivingOutLoud.Life is a free international digital health tool to support young adults living with advanced illness.

Young Adults with Cancer - Short Documentary Series

The following three videos are part of a six-part documentary series about the experience of younger adults whose lives have been affected by cancer. To view all videos in this series, visit AYA Educational Resources »

• Part 4: What Palliative Care Really Is
• Part 5: Talking About Death
• Part 6: Grief and Loss

Understanding Grief - Short Lecture Series

Grief is the psychological response to any loss. In this five-part lecture series, learn more about grief from Dr. Pamela Mosher, Psychiatrist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

• Lecture 1: Why Grief Is Not Just About Death - Grief comes in many forms. Learn more about the underlying reasons for why we grieve.
• Lecture 2: Anticipatory Grief - Anticipatory grief is the grief we feel from losses to come. Learn what makes it different from grief after death.
• Lecture 3: Disenfranchised Grief - Disenfranchised grief is when grief is not socially acknowledged or recognized. Learn more about this lesser known type of grief.
• Lecture 4: Grief After Death - Learn about how understanding grief can help us prepare to experience grief after a death of a loved one.
• Lecture 5: Grieving Is Not a Linear or Stage-Based Process - Learn about the grieving process and how it is no longer considered a linear or stage-based process.