Palliative And End Of Life Care

Palliative care is for those living with a life threatening or life limiting illness including, but not limited to, cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia or Parkinson’s disease. The goal in offering palliative care is to assist the client and their family in obtaining the support they will need throughout the illness and as soon as possible after a diagnosis is made.

Though the terms palliative care and hospice are used interchangeably in Canada, accepting palliative care does not mean imminent death as it is often thought to mean. It means that you and your loved ones are accepting care and support throughout a journey that rarely has a timeline attached to it at all. This could also include times that treatments continue to be seen as curative, rather than solely based on comfort.

Palliative care is approached with a holistic mind set, meaning the whole person; physical, social, psychosocial and spiritual. The whole person includes the client, their family, and loved ones that feel like family. The support that is given throughout an illness is carried through with the support offered to families and loved ones during the grieving and bereavement process.

Palliative care is generally offered by a team of professionals known as an interdisciplinary team. This team will often include doctor(s), specialist(s), nurses, social workers, dieticians, pharmacist(s), and home care support services such as PSWs and care managers. At the center of this team is the client and their loved ones. Client centered care is the goal that matters most to the care providers while they support a client and the people that mean the most to that client.

Benefits of Palliative care

• Improves quality of life. Not only for the client, but for their loved ones as well.
• Reduces and relieves physical and physiological symptoms, anxiety and fear. “The fear of the unknown is the greatest fear of all”.
• Ensures that a client and their loved one’s goals if care are known and met.
• Advocating for a client’s wants and wishes is the center of a holistic plan of care.
• Enables a more peaceful and dignified death.
• Ensures comfort for the client and support for their loved ones, allowing a greater feeling of inner peace for both.
• Supports the client’s family and loved ones throughout the dying process.
• Supporting a client’s family does not stop when a client has passed. Knowing their family and loved ones are and will be supported after they have passed on is an aspect that also creates a greater peace for the client.

Our team of home care workers at My Place Home Care has decades of experience enhancing the quality of life for clients and their loved ones in the palliative care field. Our palliative care and end of life care services include, but are not limited to:

• Personal care
• Meal preparation
• Light housekeeping
• Overnight care
• Companionship

To learn more about our palliative care and end of life care services, please contact our team today at info@myplacehomecare.ca