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Palliative and End-of-Life Care
What is palliative and end-of-life care?
Is it right for me?
How to get it
Service types
Who can get it?
Nervous system disease
Heart disease
Lung disease
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Autoimmune disease
Blood disease
Dementia
Who will care for me?
Caregiver information and resources
Symptom management
Final days
Trying to understand
What to expect
When death happens
Grief and bereavement
Newborn, child and youth
Family resources
Managing your child's diagnosis
Planning your child's end-of-life care
Videos and stories
Videos
Stories
Palliative and end-of-life care is an approach to care for adults and children diagnosed with a serious illness, often called a life-limiting illness. This approach to care focuses on helping you to be comfortable and have the best quality of life possible, whether you have months or a couple of years left. Palliative care focuses on relieving symptoms such as pain that may come with a serious illness.
The Palliative and end-of-life care team works with you, your family, friends, and caregivers, and your healthcare team. Your healthcare team could include a family doctor, nurse practitioner, or specialists. Everyone works together to make healthcare decisions that are right for you and that you choose.
In Alberta, a framework has been developed to make palliative and end-of-life care services more efficient and readily available. The Palliative and End-of-Life Care Framework helps strengthen and improve access to these services for all the people of Alberta, wherever and whenever they need it.
Palliative and end-of-life care may start at the time you are diagnosed with a serious illness, all the way through to the time after death, including bereavement support for your family. Palliative and end-of-life care may be part of your life's journey but you can make your wishes about healthcare known at any time through advance care planning.
Palliative and end-of-life care supports you and your family through your whole illness. It's not only for people who are close to dying from a serious illness such as cancer or heart failure. It's also for people who have months to years of life, with illnesses that don't get better or may get worse over time. These life-limiting conditions could include lung, kidney, or heart disease or concerns related to aging.
Your healthcare team works with you to access the programs and services you need to get the most quality out of life. Your goals and wishes are always considered for these decisions.
People can live for many years with a chronic disease. Palliative and end-of-life care gives extra support at all stages of a chronic illness, not just near the end-of- life.
Palliative and end-of-life care also supports your family and caregivers. These supports may include:
Your palliative and end-of-life care depends on your wishes and goals. Through advance care planning you can make decisions and choices about your healthcare. These decisions about your care can be made at any time, not only if you need palliative care.
Palliative care can help you and your family:
Some palliative care services may be different depending on where you live in Alberta. Find out what services are offered near you.
Learn more
Stories and videos about palliative and end-of-life care:
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