Palliative and End of Life Care
Also called end of life care, this is care provided to someone with a terminal illness or who is at the end of their life. This can be provided early in the course of illness, together with other treatment plans or therapies.
While palliative care can be offered at any time from diagnosis to bereavement, end of life care often focuses on the last months or years of the patient’s life when the illness is life-threatening.
How to access this service
Ask your primary care provider for more information on end-of-life options, palliative care, and medical assistance in dying (MAID).
Additional information
Palliative care for families
Palliative care is often thought of as the care provided to those living with life-limiting illness. However, palliative care is also important to support the family members of patients.
In other words, palliative care supports patients and their families by providing:
Help to relieve suffering through:
Pain management
Symptom management—for symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, depression, difficulty breathing, etc.
Improvements to quality of life
Psychological, social, emotional, spiritual, and practical support
Support for family caregivers during the illness and after the death of the person they’re caring for.
What is MAID?
Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a process that allows someone, who is found eligible to be able, to receive assistance to end their life.
Both doctors and nurse practitioners can provide MAID. You do not need to have a terminal or fatal condition to be eligible for MAID.
Resources
Here are some additional resources and information on palliative care and MAID in Ontario:
