What is Hospice Palliative Care?
Hospice palliative care is a special kind of health care for individuals and families who are living with a life-limiting illness that is usually at an advanced stage. Hospice palliative care is aimed at relieving suffering and improving the quality of life for people living with, or dying from, advanced illness, and those who are bereaved. Hospice palliative care neither hastens death nor prolongs life. The goal is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families as they face challenges associated with life-limiting illness. A “family” is whoever the person identifies as family. This may include relatives, partners and friends.
Hospice palliative care services are not only helpful when a person is approaching death, but also during the earlier stages of an illness. It may be combined with other treatments aimed at lessening or curing the illness, such as chemotherapy. Families also benefit from psychosocial supports when their loved one is dying, and bereavement supports after their death.
An important objective of hospice palliative care is relief of pain and other symptoms. Hospice palliative care meets not only physical needs, but also psychological, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs of each person and family. Hospice palliative care may become the focus of care when a cure for the illness is no longer possible, aiming to help people who are ill to live out their remaining time in comfort and dignity.
- Hospice Residence Beds: A Hospice Residence delivers expert care to individuals and their families in a homelike setting during the end-of-life phase. The care provided in a Hospice Residence supports and enhances the quality of life and death. A Hospice Residence may be an independent free-standing facility or a dedicated hospice suite(s) which is co-located within a larger facility.
- In-Home Hospice Visiting Volunteers: In-Home Hospice Visiting Volunteers is a community support service where volunteers are screened, trained, matched with clients and supervised to provide various forms of support – including emotional, social, spiritual and practical support – to those who are living with a life‐limiting illness and their families.
- Day Hospice: Day Hospice is a service offered to individuals who have a progressive, life-limiting illness. For the individual receiving service, Day Hospice provides whole person care in a supportive setting outside the home. Each Day Hospice offers programming which may include complementary therapies, legacy writing, arts and crafts, music entertainment, exercise, social programs, educational lectures, horticultural and support groups. In addition to providing support to the participant, caregivers may benefit from this opportunity for respite.
- Grief and Bereavement: Grief and Bereavement Support within a hospice is available to both individuals who are dying, as well as to individuals experiencing the death of a person of significance. Services may apply to anticipatory grief before a death and may also extend to processing after a death. Depending on the hospice setting, grief and bereavement care and supports are tailored to match people’s needs and may be delivered in a variety of ways, including printed materials, workshops, online tool, peer group or individual formats.
- Caregiver and Family Support: Caregiver support refers to various services and resources designed to assist individuals who provide care to family members or friends. This could include information and resources to support caregivers in their role, support groups, counselling or caregiver wellness programs.
- Wellness Programs and Complementary Therapy: Complementary Therapies refer to therapies that are used in conjunction with conventional medicine and may enhance quality of life by supporting physical and emotional well-being.
- Spiritual Care: Spiritual Care within a hospice context supports people facing distress and existential questions about faith, religion, spirituality, meaning and philosophy of life.
Where Can I Find Information on Specific Hospice Palliative Care Services in my Community?
For information on specific hospice palliative care services in your community, visit our online hospice directory or call our toll-free Information Line at 1-833-621-0728. The Information Line is open Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.