TORONTO - Rob Ford's family says the former Toronto mayor is in hospital receiving care that is "palliative in nature" as he continues his battle with cancer.
Spokesman Dan Jacobs says members of Ford's family are by the politician's side around the clock but notes that the 46-year-old has not been transferred to a palliative care unit.
Jacobs says part of Ford's palliative care includes sedation and adds that Ford is now "resting comfortably."
Ford was diagnosed with cancer in September 2014, less than a year after he confessed to smoking crack while in one of his "drunken stupors."
The illness forced him to withdraw his bid for re-election as mayor and he ran instead for a seat on city council, winning in a landslide despite his notoriety.
Ford's term as mayor featured a series of headline-grabbing antics, including slurs against minorities, lewd remarks about his sex life and his admission of crack cocaine and alcohol abuse.
The Ontario Medical Association describes palliative care as treatment that focuses on relief of pain and other symptoms which "creates a positive experience to replace suffering and pain in order to provide dignity at the end of life."
