Many people think of palliative care and end of life care as being the same thing. They are not. Palliative Care is an overarching term that describes the care provided for patients who are living with a serious life-limiting illness and includes end of life care. End of life care is care provided during a patient’s palliative care journey when they have only days or short weeks of life.
The key difference between palliative care and end of life care is the timing:
-
Palliative care is focused on improving the quality of life for people (and their families) who are living with an illness that cannot be cured; at any point of their serious illness.
-
End of life care is for people who are in the last weeks or days of their life.
Click here to learn more about Palliative and End-of-Life Care
Palliative care is focused on improving the quality of life for people who are living with an illness that cannot be cured, at any point of their serious illness and supporting their families.
Palliative care considers the whole person; it can help with:
• Physical care & medications, e.g. pain, nausea & vomiting, breathlessness
• Emotional support, e.g. help managing the anxiety of living with an illness that cannot be cured
• Spiritual support
• Practical plans for the future, e.g. advance care planning
Who provides palliative care?
- Palliative care is provided by teams of different healthcare professionals such as nurses, family doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and homecare.
- Palliative care teams coordinate the care you receive and create personal care plans to make sure your wishes, wants, needs and hopes are met.
- Palliative care can be provided in different places including your home, your doctor’s office or a clinic.
- More specialized palliative care can be provided in care homes, hospitals, or in hospices.
- Talk to your healthcare team to find out if palliative care is right for you.
Helpful links to learn more about Palliative Care in Alberta
Learn about Palliative Care - Compassionate Alberta
End of life care is an important part of palliative care and supports people to live as comfortably as possible in their last weeks or days of life, and to die with dignity.
It focuses on managing the physical symptoms and providing emotional support for the individual, their family and their friends.
Who receives end of life care?
People who are considered to be nearing the end of their life, e.g. if they’re likely to die within the next few weeks or days. Although it’s not always possible to predict when someone will die.
End of life care is also given to those whose death is thought to be imminent.
Who delivers end of life care?
Depending on a person’s circumstances end of life care, like palliative care, is provided by teams of different healthcare professionals such as:
Family physicians
Nurses
Palliative care consultants
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers
Homecare teams
Chaplains and spiritual counselors
Helpful Links:
Click here to learn more about End of Life Care
Many people think of palliative care and end of life care as being the same thing. They are not. Palliative Care is an overarching term that describes the care provided for patients who are living with a serious life-limiting illness and includes end of life care. End of life care is care provided during a patient’s palliative care journey when they have only days or short weeks of life.
The key difference between palliative care and end of life care is the timing:
-
Palliative care is focused on improving the quality of life for people (and their families) who are living with an illness that cannot be cured; at any point of their serious illness.
-
End of life care is for people who are in the last weeks or days of their life.
Click here to learn more about Palliative and End-of-Life Care
Palliative care is focused on improving the quality of life for people who are living with an illness that cannot be cured, at any point of their serious illness and supporting their families.
Palliative care considers the whole person; it can help with:
• Physical care & medications, e.g. pain, nausea & vomiting, breathlessness
• Emotional support, e.g. help managing the anxiety of living with an illness that cannot be cured
• Spiritual support
• Practical plans for the future, e.g. advance care planning
Who provides palliative care?
- Palliative care is provided by teams of different healthcare professionals such as nurses, family doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and homecare.
- Palliative care teams coordinate the care you receive and create personal care plans to make sure your wishes, wants, needs and hopes are met.
- Palliative care can be provided in different places including your home, your doctor’s office or a clinic.
- More specialized palliative care can be provided in care homes, hospitals, or in hospices.
- Talk to your healthcare team to find out if palliative care is right for you.
Helpful links to learn more about Palliative Care in Alberta
Learn about Palliative Care - Compassionate Alberta
End of life care is an important part of palliative care and supports people to live as comfortably as possible in their last weeks or days of life, and to die with dignity.
It focuses on managing the physical symptoms and providing emotional support for the individual, their family and their friends.
Who receives end of life care?
People who are considered to be nearing the end of their life, e.g. if they’re likely to die within the next few weeks or days. Although it’s not always possible to predict when someone will die.
End of life care is also given to those whose death is thought to be imminent.
Who delivers end of life care?
Depending on a person’s circumstances end of life care, like palliative care, is provided by teams of different healthcare professionals such as:
Family physicians
Nurses
Palliative care consultants
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers
Homecare teams
Chaplains and spiritual counselors
Helpful Links:
Click here to learn more about End of Life Care