At-home cancer treatment program eases stress for dozens of Calgary kids

Little Sage Amor may not know it, but the three-year-old is one of dozensof pediatric cancer patientsquietly benefiting from a one-of-a-kindpilot project that provides chemotherapy and other medical supportsin their home.

Diagnosed with a brain tumour in March, Amorsings sweetly as his nurse gently injects his medication into an intravenous tube attached to hischest.

He's not this calm in the clinic....It's nice to know that he is not being as traumatized.- Hilary Daum, mother

There is no hint of angst in Amor's lively eyes as he sits wrapped in his mother's arms in his own living room. His favourite toy dinosaurs stand guard nearby.

"He's not this calm in the clinic," said his mother, Hilary Daum. "In the clinic setting he's much more anxious and agitated and gets much more upset. Whereas here he stays quite a bit calmer. So it's nice for me to know that he is not being as traumatized."

Hospital at Home a first in Canada

The Hospital at Home team fundedthrough donations to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation is the first of its kind in Canada, according to officials.

It began providing nurse assessments and chemotherapy to a handful of patients in 2012. Now, three years after the project was launched,nurses have logged 1,700 home visits to 138 children inCalgary,Cochrane,AirdrieandChestermere.

As demand has grown,the team has expanded its reach.It now offersfamilies additionalmedical supports such as intravenous hydration,antibioticsand parental educationin an effort to keep even more children in their homes.

Less disruption

Amor'stumour entwined in his brain stem has already left its mark. His gently-rounded face is partially paralyzed.

Doctors were able to remove part of the tumour surgically. He's now 26 weeks into an intensive 70-week chemotherapy regimen.

When the family had to pack up and go to the hospital for treatment, it would take most of the day. Now, with weekly home visits from his nurse, the family routine remains relatively intact. Sage doesn't miss days at preschool and he can still have his afternoon nap.

"His life is easier, more normal. And he can just carry on with his day," said Daum. "They come, he gets his treatment and then we can go to the park.... We're not stuck at the hospital."

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Wait-times and congestion in the outpatient clinic at Alberta Children's Hospital mean the same treatment therecan easily take four or five hours. But when registered nurse Shelaine Semmens visits Amorat home, she's in and out in under two hours.

"That's pretty powerful. Those little pieces of normalcy [are] pretty amazing for families who've had their life turned upside down," said Semmens,who's been withthe Hospital at Home team for almost three years.

"It makes all this work worthwhile. Really, these kids and families are in stress, and when you can see them be more relaxed and have better resiliency and better coping, it just makes this whole process easier. It's got tobe good for him."

Less hospital congestion

While the program is easing the stress of childhood cancer for youngsters and their families, it's also thought to be alleviating pressure on the hospital.

"That's traffic that would have gone through our outpatient clinic," said Semmens. "So hopefully that's decreasing the wait times and making the appointments[for children who]need to be in the clinicmore smooth."