PhilouLab is the incubator where our ideas for improving the quality of life of families living with a polyimpaired child or young adult are developed.
Its goal is to develop resources and services for the polyimpaired clientele and to raise awareness of the condition through research and training.
THE APPROACH
The PhilouLab has three objectives:
- Support research into polyimpairment as well as the needs of this clientele;
- Develop training for employees, parents, professionals, health sector students and any other person interested in polyimpairment;
- Explorenew and innovative projects.
RESEARCH
While the number of polyimpaired people is limited, important findings concerning its prevalence, worsening, and life expectancy call us to conduct more research to improve the quality of their lives.
The PhilouLab therefore wishes to support and participate in research into polyimpairment and associated needs. In recent years, Centre Philou has been involved in various research projects:
- Étude des besoins (Secor/KPMG, 2009)
- Étude de besoins et de faisabilité d’un programme scolaire pour adultes polyhandicapés (Centre Philou, 2018)
- Listening to the Community: Recommendations for Optimal Service Provision to Polyimpaired Children and their Families in Montreal, Quebec (McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Centre Philou, 2019)
- Recensement des services offerts aux personnes polyhandicapées à l’international (Deloitte, 2021)
TRAINING: CAMPUS PHILOU
The Campus Philou, the educational branch of the PhilouLab, aims to share the valuable knowledge of Centre Philou and its partners. The goal is to equip, sensitize and train caregivers and professionals who interact with this clientele in order to offer efficient, adapted services that are suited to the specific problems that polyimpaired people and their families experience.
How?
The Campus Philou takes the form of information capsules presented by professionals, who, by working with this clientele on a regular basis, are specialized in dealing with them and who understand their specific needs. You can find some of these capsules below (in French only).
The Campus Philou also offers training sessions for universities and professionals who wish to raise awareness of the distinct needs of this clientele and their families as well as train workers/caregivers to better deal with them.
INNOVATION
Centre Philou is constantly striving to optimize the services for polyimpaired people and their families. In order to do so, the PhilouLab innovates by transforming the needs of these families into concrete projects. To make its dreams come true, Centre Philou has partners who support it and provide advice on its activities.
Since 2017, we’ve started and collaborated on the creation of a dozen initiatives, some of which have materialized into programs at Centre Philou and beyond. More recently, the PhilouLab oversaw the three following projects in response to the overwhelming needs of young people and their families:
- Philou Daycare
- The CESPQ (Centre d’expertise et de services en polyhandicap du Québec)
- The Habitat Philou
