Dr. Larry Zoberman with Nurse Clinician Sonia Johnson

It takes a special kind of devotion to focus one’s professional career on the needs of palliative care patients and their families. For Dr. Larry Zoberman and the rest of the team in The Scarborough Hospital’s Palliative Care Unit, the medical care is just as important at end-of-life as it is at any other time in a person’s lifespan.

“It can be an onerous responsibility to be the doctor for a person’s end-of-life care, but I feel gratified that I am helping patients and their families during this most difficult time,” Dr. Zoberman says. “Our society is still uncomfortable with the subject of death and dying, but for the most part, patients and families are thankful and appreciative of the care they receive.”

Toni Wayne, the daughter of one palliative care patient, was so moved by her mother’s care that she wrote in her letter, “The staff of the Palliative Care Unit are a remarkable group of individuals who displayed professionalism, dedication and compassion. I am forever grateful to your entire team … who cared for my mother and gave her the opportunity to die with dignity and in (relative) comfort. And, just as importantly, permitted me to be involved in her care and provided me with much needed support and genuine concern.”

“Getting a letter like that is the icing on the cake, and I feel our team works from the same premise: we all do our best,” Dr. Zoberman says. “The message of end-of-life care is that when there is no more that can be done for the patient to improve the primary cause of illness, there are things we can still do to make whatever time they have comfortable, with the best quality of life possible.

“We do not give up hope that we can make them comfortable, and we try not to allow them to feel they’ve been abandoned by the system … that we’re there for them and we will try our best even though we know the patient will ultimately pass away.”

Born and raised in Toronto, Dr. Zoberman began his family practice in 1971, before “this era of sub-specialization and fragmentation, when I thought my job was to advocate for my patients.”

“The system is more complex now, but as a preceptor dealing with residents, I see the future of medicine is in excellent hands. I work with many young doctors in family medicine and I must say they’re a bright bunch, a committed bunch. They are enthusiastic, intelligent and bring a lot of good ideas to the table.”

While he sees family practice and all medicine changing dramatically as time goes on, the past 20 years at The Scarborough Hospital have been satisfying for Dr. Zoberman.

“One of the reasons I’m so committed to The Scarborough Hospital is that patient care is the bottom line for everyone,” he explains. “When a patient is ill, everyone pitches in. There is a lot of camaraderie between the doctors and the staff, and everyone is committed to doing the best job possible for the patient.”

Nurse Clinician Sonia Johnson, who has been with TSH for 20 years, 14 of those in palliative care, was also singled out in the letter, and lauds the growing importance of having palliative care as a specialty for both physicians and nurses.

“Universities are recognizing that there needs to be improved education and training in palliative care, while the body of knowledge in terms of research is also growing,” Sonia explains. “Dr. Zoberman is definitely a valued team member, and his expertise is respected throughout the hospital. He is very passionate about his specialty in palliative care and delivering the best quality of care possible for patients and families.”

While retirement is still not on the books (“I still enjoy the work and the challenge”), Dr. Zoberman is hoping a new crop of people coming into palliative care will allow him to slow down a little bit.

“My undergrad training was in history and English literature, and I still do a fair bit of reading,” he says. “Classical music is a passion of mine, but time to enjoy it is limited. I’d like to read more, attend more conferences and do more writing in medical ethics.”