Huntington

Individual and Family Services (IFS) provides support to individuals who have been diagnosed with HD, helping them adjust to their symptoms and to the changes in their daily lives and offering a variety of programs.

We also provide counselling and support to other family members, helping them deal with changes in family relationships caused by HD, adjust to their role as caregivers, navigate the health system, and access community resources. If they are at risk of inheriting the HD gene and are deciding whether to have genetic testing, we offer initial conselling. After genetic testing, we help individuals and their families interpret their results and deal with the future.

We offer various programs that give people with HD mutual support and a sense of inclusion and normalcy. IFS staff also works closely with health care professionals to reduce common misunderstandings about Huntington disease.

The Huntington Society of Canada (HSC) gives families living with Huntington disease (HD) an opportunity to invest strategically in innovative, world class research to advance our basic understanding of the underlying disease and to test therapies which might provide symptomatic relief in the near term. The scientific research funded by HSC is reviewed and approved by panels of experienced scientists.

The Huntington Society of Canada creates and distributes accurate, up-to-date booklets, newsletters, and videos for physicians, professional caregivers, people with HD and other family members.

Our IFS staff and volunteers also offer presentations and workshops for health-care professionals and staff at long-term care facilities who have clients with HD.

To promote public awareness about HD, we produce posters, pamphlets, public service ads and announcements. Each May, we coordinate "Huntington Disease Awareness Month" across Canada to create awareness of Huntington's and the challenges faced by families dealing with HD.