Walking Beside Families on Life’s Final Journey: Inside St. Joseph’s Palliative Care Program

For more than 25 years, St. Joseph’s Health Care London has walked alongside patients and families during what can be a very challenging time —end of life care.

Since opening in 1999, the Palliative Care Unit (PCU) at Parkwood Institute has been a place of dignity and compassion for individuals across London and Middlesex living with life-limiting illness.

St. Joseph’s Palliative Care Program provides pain management and relief of symptoms to those experiencing life-threatening, progressive or terminal illness. The PCU care team helps patients find comfort, supporting them body, mind and spirit.  

Palliative care staff and physicians also support family caregivers through the process.

“The care we provide is focused on helping patients find dignity and peace at the end of their life,” says clinical manager, Angela-Marie Schaefer. “This includes managing symptoms, respecting each person’s unique needs and nurturing their spiritual, mental and emotional well-being.”

Each patient’s journey is supported by a health care team that specializes in palliative care. Families are not visitors—they are full partners. Loved ones are welcomed into care discussions, daily routines and moments of reflection, staying as close as they wish during their loved one’s final days.

A home-like environment designed with families in mind

Most patients receive a private room on the recently renovated PCU unit, thoughtfully designed with natural light, the ability to personalize the space for each patient and a pullout sofa that allows family members to remain at the bedside overnight.

For Earl Mullin, whose wife Joyce spent her final weeks on the PCU earlier this year, the amenities available, combined with the level of compassionate care provided, made all the difference.  

Joyce’s connection to St. Joseph’s ran deep—she attended Nursing School at St. Joseph’s Hospital, graduating with the Class of 1970 and later on in life, while working as a nurse educator with Western University and Fanshawe College, helped to set-up nursing students in clinical placement across St. Joseph’s—making her return to St. Joseph’s for end-of-life care especially meaningful.

“Whole-person care was demonstrated every day she was there,” Earl recalls. “The staff were very attentive to Joyce’s every need.”

“The rooms are bright and large—and we were able to personalize hers, which made her feel more at home,” says Earl. “We put up her marathon medals and pictures of loved ones who were important to her.”

St. Joseph’s commitment to compassion and respect was especially clear in the way the care team embraced Joyce not just as a patient, but as a person.

“During Joyce’s time on the PCU, we really got to know the care team and they got to know us,” Earl says. “Joyce enjoyed her time on the unit and always had a smile on her face—being a registered nurse herself, she loved to talk to the nurses. In her early stages, she even played the keyboard on the unit.”

Earl also reflected on the professionalism and compassion that shaped their experience.

“A lot stands out about the care experience on the Palliative Care Unit,” Earl says. “The nurses were so good; they knew exactly what to do and were very compassionate and friendly.”

Comfort inside and out

The PCU’s home-like environment extends beyond patient rooms. Families can gather in the lounge that includes a warm fireplace, prepare meals together in the on-unit kitchen, or enjoy the outdoors. Parkwood Institute’s gardens, walking trails and green spaces often become cherished sanctuaries for patients and their loved ones.

“The on-site gardens at Parkwood Institute are beautiful,” Earl shares. “We spent a lot of time outside with Joyce when she was well enough. The grounds were so charming that she rarely wanted to go back inside.”

Compassion, partnership and presence

When the end of Joyce’s journey drew near, Earl’s family was grateful for the chance to remain physically close.

“My son and daughter both stayed overnight in the room with Joyce during her final days, on the pullout sofa in the room—something we were very grateful for,” he says.

“At a difficult time, it is a place that is comforting,” he says. “It is a hard thing to go through, to have to place a loved one in palliative care, but I believe Parkwood Institute is the best option.”

Honouring every journey

At St. Joseph’s, we are honoured to care for people like Joyce and to support families like the Mullins—offering the attentive, dignified, whole-person care that is rooted in our healing mission and our unwavering commitment to those we serve.

To learn more about the Palliative Care Unit at Parkwood Institute, including referral and admission criteria, and to view our PCU orientation video, please visit our website.