Palliative care had always been provided on a discreet, informal basis under the name of “compassionate care.” The movement had its real start in Canada with the pioneering work of Dr. Balfour Mount at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, out of concern for the comfort and quality of life of patients who had reached the end of their lives.
Palliative care is an entire range of care and treatment provided for a patient suffering from an incurable illness such as cancer, or some other form of illness that has reached a stage when death seems imminent. The aim is to provide better quality of life for the patient and their loved ones, and to ease their suffering. Beside the relief of pain and other physical symptoms, it includes psychological, social and spiritual support, and counselling for family members experiencing bereavement.
A palliative care team includes doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists and other healthcare workers and professionals. Spouses and life partners, family members and friends also play an active role. Every person in their final illness or last stage of life should be able to enjoy this care and its benefits – in hospital, in a palliative care hospice, or at home.
The palliative care approach regards everyone whose life expectancy is shortened due to illness – seniors, adults, or children – not as a dying patient, but as a person with a life to live as fully as possible.