Transition to Adult Care
The goal of transition to adult care is to support youth with special health-care needs and their families or caregivers to gain the confidence, skills and knowledge to be ready to enter the adult health-care system.
Most services across BC Children’s Hospital provide care up to children and youth up to 18 years of age, however, this may vary between services.
The goal of transition to adult care is to support youth with special health-care needs and their families or caregivers to gain the confidence, skills and knowledge to be ready to enter the adult health-care system.
We recommend speaking to your health-care provider about your transition to the adult care system as part of your upcoming appointments.
Where to begin
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Download the brochure
Download and print your own transition timeline brochure (PDF). This document includes the key timelines in your transition to adult care, as well as the actions you and others can take as part of this transition.
ONTRAC timeline brochure3 MB -
Prepare for your transition
Identify your strengths, and what you need to work on.
- Youth: take the youth quiz (PDF). This will assist you in preparing for your transition to adult care.
- Parents or caregiver: complete the parent/family checklist (PDF). This document assists families in understanding their youth’s needs and offers them support in planning and preparing for the transition.
ONTRAC youth readiness quiz758 KB
ONTRAC parent and family checklist569 KB -
Print your documents
Print copies of both the youth quiz and the parent/family checklist and bring them, along with any questions you may have, to your next clinic appointment.
Just TRAC it
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There are quick and easy ways to keep track of your health-care information using your tablet or smartphone. It’s simple and doesn’t require a new app- you can use existing tools available on your device(s).
Notes: list information about your condition, medications, allergies, and questions for your health team.
Contacts: record names, phone numbers and addresses for health-care providers, and list an emergency contact.
Calendar: make and keep appointments, set reminders, keep track of symptoms and changes in your condition, and schedule medications (when you take them and when your prescriptions need to be refilled).
Mike’s Story
Youth and families are welcome to watch this video of former BC Children’s Hospital patient, Mike, where he shares his experience transitioning from the pediatric to the adult care system.
Further resources
Further information and resources are available for youth and families wanting to learn more about Transition to Adult Care.
While we work on making these resources available on our website, you can access them, if required, by contacting Patient Experience: patientexperience@cw.bc.ca or call: 1-844-874-3267.