Simply put, there are four conditions that should be met for transfer of care. It is ideal to transfer when you, your parents, the disease, and the doctors are all ready. You should be ready to speak for yourself and take responsibility for your health before transferring. It is important to understand your disease (what type of IBD do you have, where is it, etc.), medications (what they do, why you take them, and when you need to take them), make informed decisions, and know how to make arrangements to make sure you get the care that you need. Practically, transfer of care takes place around 17-18 and depends on the local hospital policies. At the Stollery Children’s Hospital, patients are only cared for if they are under 17 years (with some exceptions, of course). So usually, the transfer occurs around age 17 but, since every patient and disease is different, this can vary.