We encourage all of our patients to be proactive in their health and to partner with us in their unique healthcare journey.
The guide is fairly extensive. You can use the Table of Contents (which will stay with you) to navigate to different sections and to see where you are.
Disclaimer: Links to third-party information do not necessarily represent the opinion of STAR Family Health Team. STAR Family Health Team does not take any responsibility whatsoever for such third-party information.
Your health or personal care circumstances can change quickly and without warning. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring. We cannot always predict if, or when, we will need to rely on others to make health or personal care decisions for us, or when we will be called on to make these decisions for another family member.
In Ontario, the law requires all health care providers to get informed consent, or refusal of consent, before providing a patient with any treatment or care. Health practitioners must tell you about your illness and what may be done to treat you. You then have the right to make a decision and agree to or refuse the treatments offered. This is called health care consent: it is a basic patient right to decide what health care to receive.
If you are not mentally capable, the health practitioner will turn to another person, your substitute decision maker, who will then speak for you and make the decisions about your care. Advance care planning lets you know who would speak for you.
Consent for medical treatment always comes from a person: either the mentally capable person or their substitute decision-maker (s).
In Ontario, advance care planning (ACP) is
Advance care planning involves a few meaningful steps:
Advance care planning is not about decisions. It is about preparing you, and your future substitute decision-maker (s), for a time when you may not be able to make your own health or personal care decisions because of your lack of mental capacity. At that time, your future SDM would step in to give or refuse consent for treatment.
Did you know that everyone in Ontario has an SDM even if he or she has never prepared a Power of Attorney for Personal Care appointing someone to act in that role? The Health Care Consent Act includes a hierarchy of automatic SDMs, as defined by law, which identifies the person who would automatically be your substitute decision-maker.
If you feel your automatic SDM will not fully represent your wishes, values and beliefs then you can choose a person or more than one person to act as your SDM by preparing a document called a Power of Attorney for Personal Care (POAPC).
As you embark on this process of Advanced Care Planning, several resources and tools to support your journey.
Other resources you may find helpful:
How to determine your Substitute Decision Maker
Substitute Decision Maker (SDM) is a term used in Ontario law for the person who would make health and personal care decisions on your behalf if in the event you are unable to speak for yourself.
There Are Two Ways to Identify Who Would Be Your SDM in Ontario:
or:
Also, the two witnesses must sign the document in front of the individual who has completed the form.
Note: the word “attorney” here does not mean lawyer. In this case, “attorney” refers to the person or persons an individual has chosen to act on their behalf. They are a type of substitute decision maker.
Status of Living Wills and Advanced Directives in the province of Ontario
Important things to remember about your care and treatment options, surrounding the term consent:
Palliative Care refers to a holistic, patient-family-centered approach to care when a patient is facing a serious, life-limiting illness. The focus is on meeting the needs of the patient, which includes making efforts to support the physical, psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual needs. It also includes measures to relieve any suffering and improve the overall quality of life for patients and their families at all stages of the illness, as early as the initial diagnosis and throughout the individual phases of illness.
Hospice is a special model of care for patients who are in the late phase of an incurable illness and wish to receive end-of-life care at home or in a specialized care setting. The care focuses on providing comfort measures, supporting the patient in the provision of psychosocial and spiritual needs and ensuring the inclusion of family in a holistic approach to the care of their loved one.
The following websites provide a comprehensive list of services and programs to support patients and their families concerning Palliative and End-of-Life Care.
This section provides a list of web-based resources to inform patients, their families and caregivers about a variety of health care topics.
My CancerIQ – Provided by Cancer Care Ontario, complete a cancer risk assessment and receive a personalized action plan.
Breast Cancer in most cases occurs in people over the age of 50. People ages 40 to 74 are encouraged to speak to their doctor or nurse practitioner about getting tested for early detection.
Evidence shows that regular mammograms every 2 years for women age 50 and over are the most effective way to detect breast cancer early.
Your chances of getting breast cancer increases as you get older. More than 80% of breast cancers are found in women over 50 years old, and most women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of the disease. Regular mammograms can help to find breast cancer when it is small and hard to detect.
Review the link below for more information:
Breast cancer testing and prevention
The Pap test (also known as a Pap smear) is the most common way to find cell changes in the cervix that may lead to cervical cancer. A Pap test looks for abnormal cells in the cervix. Cervical cells may become abnormal when someone has a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It is important for all women to have pap smears done regularly as they can find the earliest signs of cervical cancer. If caught early, the chance of curing cervical cancer is very high as treatment can prevent most cases of cervical cancer from developing.
Review the link below for more information:
Colon cancer refers to a cancer of the lower digestive tract called the colon. Rectal cancer is cancer of the last six inches of the colon. Together, they are called “colorectal cancer,” or commonly called “colon cancer” or “bowel cancer.” Most cases of colon cancer begin as small, noncancerous (benign) growths called polyps. Over time, some of these polyps can change to become colon cancer.
Discuss with your doctor or nurse practitioner about your level of risk for colon cancer and what are your options for testing. People can be checked for colon cancer if they are:
Review the link below for more information:
Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) – Ontario residents are eligible for provincially funded health coverage (OHIP). A resident of Ontario must have a health card to show that he/she is entitled to health care services paid for by OHIP.
Dr. Mike Evans – This link provides a series of engaging evidence-based health videos and information on a variety of topics using a very creative method (i.e. 23 and 1/2 Hours: What is the Single Best Thing We Can Do For Our Health, Health Eating 101, Concussion Management, 10:90 Stress, etc.).
Healthy Canadians – Find reliable, easy-to-understand health and safety information (healthy living campaigns, links to advisories, warnings, and recalls) to help you protect yourself and your family, make positive health choices, improve your health, and stay healthy.
Health Care Connect – A Program that helps you find a doctor or nurse practitioner if you don’t have one. You can also use the program to change family health care providers, but only after you drop off your current family health care provider’s patient list.
Participaction Website – Provides information on the benefits of physical activity, easy ways to start, guidelines, etc.
Cessation (ces-sa-tion)
the fact or process of ending or being brough to an end
If you are planning on travelling you should consult a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic preferably six weeks before you travel.
Funded by the Government of Ontario, ConnexOntario provides free and confidential health services information for people experiencing problems with alcohol and drugs, mental illness or gambling.
Located on 50 acres on the banks of the Speed River in Guelph, Ontario, Homewood Health helps to improve the lives of people in the community and throughout Canada by delivering highly specialized care.
Cessation (ces-sa-tion)
the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end
Provides support over the phone, online and by text.
STAR Family Health Team – Provides 1-on-1 counselling and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) when available for patients of the STAR Family Health Team.
Perth District Health Unit – Provides counselling, quit kits and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) when available.
Provides counselling and support, nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) when available for clients of Choices for Change.
Provides resources to help you stay mentally fit and healthy.
Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) works to identify and develop solutions to important policy issues affecting the child and youth mental health sector. They represent more than 85 accredited community-based children’s mental health centres that provide treatment and support to children, youth and families.
Offering a number of services to meet a broad range of mental health concerns. These services, funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth are consistent with the Core Services that should be available in every community across Ontario.
Kids Help Phone is always there for you. No matter what you want to talk about, we’re here to listen. No judgment, totally private, 24/7.
Offers support through the provision of current and relevant information to kids, parents, educators and service providers.
An award-winning, non-profit mental health program that engages youth, emerging adults and the professionals who serve them to co-develop reliable and relevant resources.
Belly Breathing
What can you do to get through a crap week
Healthy eating is important for everyone. To maintain a healthy body, have energy to do the things you enjoy and help prevent chronic diseases, wise nutrition choices are important!
Enjoying a variety of foods in the right amount is the first step to healthy eating. You can use Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating as a guide to know how much and what to eat based on your age and gender.
Here are a variety of resources and tips to help you make healthy choices a part of your everyday routine!
Did you know that food journaling can help you identify patterns to your eating and find areas where you can make healthy changes? You can track using an electronic version, or by hand! Here are some resources that you can use:
Did you know that planning meals not only help you get balanced, good-tasting, nutritious meals but also saves you money and time?
Other surprising benefits of meal planning and family meals are that children’s grades in school will likely be better and parents and children have a better relationship with one another. To help with planning meals, you can use these tools:
EatRight Ontario has a personalized meal planning tool that makes printable weekly menus complete with recipes, and healthy eating tips!
Still don’t know what to cook? Use these websites and apps for recipe ideas and inspiration:
Dietitians of Canada Cookspiration! (also an App for iPhone, iPad and Android)
EatRight Ontario recipe page
Need Diabetes Friendly Recipes? Check out the Canadian Diabetes Association
Meal Planning and Healthy Recipes: Cart2Table
Caregivers/Parents: These are the resources you’ve been waiting for to support your loved one with an eating disorder. Check out their Advanced caregiving skills for eating disorders 3-part series from their “For Caregivers” section.
Sheena’s Place is a support centre for people affected by eating disorders. No diagnosis or referral is required and all programs are free of charge. They provide an extensive range of professionally facilitated support and skills-based groups.
NEDIC provides information, resources, referrals and support to Canadians affected by eating disorders through their toll-free helpline and instant chat. Outreach and education programming focuses on the awareness and prevention of eating disorders, and is available online across Canada and in-person in the Greater Toronto Area. We encourage you to check out the live experience section of their blog.
Their mission is to encourage, promote and provide mother-to-mother breastfeeding support and educational opportunities as an important contribution to the health of children, families and society.
Helpful information and resources offered by Huron Perth Public Health including a Breastfeeding Plan, and Getting Started With Breastfeeding.
Information provided by Caring for Kids covering topics like what breastfeeding mothers should eat, how to know when it’s time for a feeding, how to know if your baby is feeding well, etc.
Information provided by the Perth District Health Unit.
A free program for expectant parents and families with children from birth to 6 years of age.
A free program for expectant parents and families with children from birth to 6 years of age.
Rural Response for Healthy Children is a non-profit charity that serves Huron County families. Our work contributes to fostering a healthy community of trusted adults where children and youth thrive.
Provides information on preparing for a baby to growth and development and everything in between.
Helpful information offered by the Oxford County Health Unit.
Helpful information and support provided by Mother Reach.
A weekly drop-in support group for new mothers available in Oxford County.
Information on the signs of depression, how it affects pregnant women, the difference between “baby blues” and postpartum depression, etc.
If you are from another county, you can change your society once on the page.
Canada’s only national organization that helps all Canadians with issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. PFLAG Canada supports, educates and provides resources to all individuals with questions or concerns, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
