After having worked as a clinical nutritionist for several years, Édith de Grand’Maison took on a position as a professional oncology coordinator at the Centre régional intégré de cancérologie de Lévis in 2019. Dedicated to always better-supporting people facing cancer and well aware of their needs and special issues, Édith, after speaking with a dedicated nurse, decided to take part in the Foundation’s Support program for daily living activities training program.
“The region was facing a shortage of social intervention workers at the time. I was thus immediately drawn to the Support program for daily living activities (PAVQ), a measure that is not only innovative but also essential. As a nutritionist with prior work experience in oncology, I know the reality of people facing cancer. Most of them need a specialized nutrition plan because of the disease and its treatment. Unfortunately, these people cannot implement what we recommend due to a lack of income.”
The advantage of flexibility
“The eligibility criteria for existing financial assistance programs for people living with cancer are often extremely specific or highly restrictive. This results in numerous cancer patients being deemed ineligible. The Support program for daily living activities (PAVQ) distinguishes itself by its flexibility. The program adapts itself to users, with requests considered on the basis of individual needs. The program helps those who have fallen through the cracks and those for whom the system has failed. Those whose financial distress forces them to make harrowing choices between paying their bills, assuaging their landlord, buying groceries, or seeing to their health.
I can’t help but think of one particular beneficiary whom I helped request assistance under the Support program for daily living activities. She was a single mother with 4 children, who had lost her job after being deemed unfit to work due to her cancer diagnosis. The program procured her financial support, allowing her to pay her rent while waiting for her case to be settled; in other words, she was able to focus on her treatment without neglecting her family or herself. Her children were therefore not further penalized in their daily lives by their mother’s trajectory in oncology.
Hassle-free payment
Another benefit of the program is the payment process. Beneficiaries don’t need to take any particular measures. Once unpaid bills are submitted and the request for support has been approved, all payments are made directly to the entity or organization in question. This means that beneficiaries don’t have to concern themselves with financial follow-up, which leaves them time to concentrate on their health.
It’s truly a relief to be able to help people with cancer through the Support program for daily living activities. As a professional, but also as a human being, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to bring a breath of fresh, hope-bearing air to those buffeted by cancer’s whimsies daily.”
For more information on ways of supporting your patients and the Quebec Cancer Foundation’s last-resort assistance measure, the Support program for daily living activities, contact us at pavq@fqc.qc.ca.
