Hope & Cope Resources

Onsite library

Hope & Cope has a collection of over 2000 books, DVD’s and pamphlets in its main office located on the 7th floor of the Jewish General Hospital’s Segal Cancer Centre, Pavilion E-730.1. Items can be borrowed for up to one month at a time. The Wellness Centre / Lou’s house has a smaller collection of books that can be borrowed.

Talking to your children about your cancer diagnosis is never easy. Our En famille program, located in the Division of Radiation Oncology, Room G002, has a collection of age appropriate books for young children. For information, please contact 514-340-8222, ext. 22591

Workshops

Hope & Cope provides a wide range of educational and informative workshops, free of charge and open to adults of all ages. Young adults have found these ones in particular to be very helpful:

  • Focus on the Future – A six-session workshop designed to help patients move forward after treatment.
  • Think Smart Live Well – A one-day workshop based on the book written by Linda Edgar, R.N., PhD, entitled Mastering the Art of Coping in Good Times and Bad.
  • Annual Cancer Survivorship Day (in June) – Featuring a noted guest speaker followed by a dessert reception, this event brings together those newly diagnosed with long term survivors for an informative and entertaining celebration of cancer survivorship.

Please consult the Hope & Cope web site for a full list of workshops.

Wigs and Head Coverings

Even if you are expecting it to happen, losing your hair can be a very emotional and traumatic experience. It is not vain to want to look good. You deserve to feel beautiful during treatments and we have the resources to help you shine, inside and out. Hope & Cope has a large variety of fashionable wigs of all lengths and colors as well as other head coverings such as scarves and tuques. Our volunteers will gladly help you pick a style that best suits you. Stop by our main office at the Segal Cancer Centre, Room E-730.1, to check out the selection.

Wellness Centre

The JGH Hope & Cope Wellness Centre / Lou’s House offers a variety of programs and activities to help you live well with and beyond cancer. Located down the street from the Jewish General hospital, the Centre is managed by Hope & Cope staff with the assistance of dynamic, cancer-experienced volunteers. We invite you to enter the relaxed, peaceful and home-like setting of our Wellness Centre! Programs include:

Exercise

Our unique ActivOnco program is designed to help you regain as much strength, balance and flexibility as possible and to cope with side effects of treatments such as fatigue. Our team of professional specialists will provide you with a careful assessment and a personalized exercise plan that can be completed at home or in our fully equipped gym. If working out in the gym is not your thing, you can always try other physical activities in our bright and airy yoga studio. These include yoga, tai chi, qi gong, dance classes and much more.

A medical note from your doctor is mandatory prior to starting any physical activity here at the Wellness Centre / Lou’s house. For more information please contact our Exercise Coordinator at 514-340-3616, ext. 212.

 

Stress Management

If you have cancer, or are caring for someone who has been diagnosed, it is quite normal to feel as if your thoughts and your life are spinning out of control. Emotions can change from day to day, hour to hour. Hope & Cope offers several programs that help reduce stress. These include classes in meditation, relaxation and visualization – techniques that are easy to learn and to incorporate into your day – as well as healing touch and reiki.

Creative Arts Therapy

Creating art can be healing. It can be a safe way to express your feelings, emotions and concerns. You don’t need to be able to draw or paint as the goal is not about creating a perfect piece of art or having a perfect voice. Hope & Cope invites you to explore our creative art programs. All of our classes are taught by our talented volunteers and open to all young adults.

  • Open art studio
  • Jewelry making
  • Knitting
  • Voices of Hope choir (no auditions necessary – just a desire to sing with other cancer survivors)

Support groups

It is common for many cancer survivors to feel isolated. Hope & Cope offers support groups for many different cancers in our inviting Wellness Centre/Lou’s House. Groups include:

  • Breast cancer
  • Brain tumors
  • CNETS – Carcinoid neuro-endocrine tumours
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Ostomy
  • Patients and caregivers
  • Post treatment support groups

Please consult the Hope & Cope web site for exact dates and times.