We are always looking for new patients for our research studies. Please note that we are a research group, not a clinical care facility, and are bound by the Research Ethics Board at Western University. The first step is for the patient’s physician to send us a referral/consult, stating that they approve of the patient’s participation in the study (with family consent) along with some medical history to give us a background on the patient, their diagnosis and their treatment thus far. This is the first step for our team to consider a case; however, please be aware that due to clinical and geographical limitations, this is not a guarantee that each case will be eligible for one of our research studies, but we will respond with an answer as quickly as we can.
If you are interested, please have the physician fax, mail or email a referral to:
Upon review of your case, if you are determined to be eligible, a visit will be scheduled and you will be sent more detailed information beforehand. One of our researchers will come to meet with the patient, their family and other support personnel, if appropriate.
Please note that if accepted into the program, the patient would be a participant in our research, which seeks to find covert awareness through means of several tests. We do not provide treatment or rehabilitation and cannot provide any type of clinical or therapeutic advice.
Yes, we consider patients who live at home as well as those who live in a long-term care facility for inclusion in our research studies.
Unfortunately our ethics board does not permit us to consider patients who are outside of Canada for inclusion in our studies - this restriction includes providing advice about specific patients and medical situations via telephone and email. We hope that in the future we will be able to expand our research to other countries around the world.
The information gathered from these tests will make a valuable contribution to our understanding of these neurological conditions and will ultimately benefit families and patients in similar situations in the future. It may also provide you with more information about the condition of your relative/friend and what they are still able to do or not do. A referral is a first step, but you are under no obligation to consent to participate. If you decide that your relative/friend would not wish to take part, it will not affect his/her medical care in any way. The following information is intended to provide an overview of the tests that your relative/friend would be involved in. We have attempted to cover some of the major questions that may arise during this process. Should your family have further questions or concerns, we will be happy to schedule a consultation or speak with you over the phone.
Our work is strictly research and is funded by several grants. A substantial portion of these grants is allocated for the operational costs involved in our studies, including equipment. There are no fees charged to refer a patient, to review the medical history, have a phone discussion, or to arrange a visit from our team with a potential candidate. Once a patient is accepted, there are no fees for EEG, behavioural, or psychophysiological exams. Subject to available funding, we will arrange and pay for transportation to the MRI facility with Voyageur and will cover all imaging expenses. For patients accepted into our research program who reside outside the London area we currently arrange a 2-5 days in-patient admission to Parkwood Hospital, where the participant will receive standard medical and nursing care. If your relative/friend lives within 3 hours driving-time distance from London we are likely to be able to reimburse the travel expenses. If the distance is more than 3 hours driving-time the patient’s relatives are likely to be asked to cover the travel costs. Because what we are able to cover changes from time to time depending on what research funding we have available, we generally discuss the current possibilities for a participant during the enrolment process.
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