Darren Cargill

Contributor

Dr. Darren Cargill is a fellow of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Royal College of Physicians of Canada, and American Association of Hospice Palliative Medicine. He is the past medical director for the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County and lead physician for its community-based Palliative Medicine Program. He is one of only two certified hospice medical directors in Canada and has his designation as a certified Canadian physician executive.  He received HPCO’s Larry Librach award in 2017 for excellence in leadership and advancing palliative care through mentorship.

26 Contributions
by Darren Cargill

Match Day 2024: ‘Take 3 deep breaths … and have faith’

The NFL draft is much like the CaRMS match. It distills years of hard work and sacrifice into one binary answer: matched/unmatched.
by Darren Cargill

Palliative pixie dust

Just as Disney World has grown and evolved, so must palliative care. The time for Ontario to update palliative care into the 21st century may have arrived.

by Darren Cargill

How to build a palliative care empire

Though some may say that we can’t train enough palliative physicians, much like the Imperial Commander on the second Death Star, I recommend we “double our efforts.”
by Darren Cargill

Tapping into the power of hope

Learning about a patient’s hopes can create an opportunity for both special intervention and improve goals of care conversations and assist doctors in crafting a care plan that will optimize the chances of these dreams coming true. The Oneday Dreams charity offers the hope for better quality of life to patients with terminal illness.

by Darren Cargill

Palliative care (still) in need of better PR and a new spokesperson

Palliative care has an image problem. We need to find someone who can get the message across to the thousands of Canadians who could benefit from a palliative approach to care and those who care for them.
by Darren Cargill

On fathers: Paying tribute to those in my life and career

My job gives me an interesting perspective. The simplest lesson I have learned is this: At the end of life, it is not what we have done that we remember most, but it is the things we did not do that we regret.
by Darren Cargill

No need for super heroes. What we need is the will to fix our health-care system

Panels have been stuck. Articles and reports have been written. But Canadians will have to stay informed and involved if we want to improve our health-care system.
by Darren Cargill

There is no debate – Patient Medical Homes are the way to go

The Patient's Medical Home is a vision for the future of family practice in Canada: One that focuses on comprehensive, coordinated, and continuing care for populations through a family physician working with health care teams.

by Darren Cargill

On mentors: Honouring the legacy of a palliative care specialist

Gone but not forgotten: Darren Cargill honours his mentor in palliative care, Ciaran Sheehan, for National Hospice and Palliative Care Week.

by Darren Cargill

Holy health care, Batman! Do you have a plan for What if …?

What if you needed urgent medical care, but someone else had to speak on your behalf about the care that you'd receive? Advance care planning would prepare you for such a situation. Don't leave it to others to make guesses about your care.
by Darren Cargill

Western’s Centre for Palliative Care is an idea whose time has come

Western University may open an institute meant to foster cross-disciplinary innovation in the field of palliative care. If fully realized, it could transform health care in southwestern Ontario. Now, let's go even farther.
by Darren Cargill Kieran Quinn

Virtual care evens the odds in ‘palliative care lottery’

While virtual care comes with drawbacks that must be carefully managed, it will ultimately be a huge step forward in improving access to palliative care in Ontario and Canada.
by Darren Cargill

In praise of nurses – and Grammy

In hospice settings, nurses wet the mouths of patients as they take their last breaths. Sometimes, they simply sit with them so that no one dies alone. As a physician, I could not do my job without them.
by Darren Cargill James Downar

HOMR’s Odyssey: Calculating palliative need in real time

By using tools that identify which patients have an elevated risk of mortality in the coming year, we can catch patients who would benefit from palliative care planning before they fall through the cracks.
by Darren Cargill

Lessons from Down Under – Eight pillars to support palliative care

During the pandemic, we Canadians could learn a thing or two from our Aussie friends Down Under. This includes important lessons on palliative care.

by Darren Cargill

Bazinga! A unified model of palliative care in Ontario

To ensure access to high-quality palliative care for all Ontarians facing a life-limiting illness, we need a unified model of palliative care across Ontario.

by Darren Cargill

Focus on palliative care will help hospitals recover from COVID-19

To address the surgical backlog caused by COVID-19, we need community-based palliative care to free up important hospital resources.

by Darren Cargill

Palliative vs. supportive: The zombie argument that refuses to die

Changing the name of palliative care to "supportive care" would be a lazy substitute for the important work of educating patients, families, caregivers and clinicians alike on what palliative care actually is.
by Darren Cargill

Giving thanks for Dan’s Law

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