Palliative Care

Saint Elizabeth offers you a wide range of safe and effective resources that:

• Help you to live at home or in the place of your choice for as long as possible
• Meet your physical, emotional and spiritual needs and health care goals
• Respect your personal belongings, values and beliefs
• Provide care in the language of your choice
• Are flexible, convenient and customized to your needs and your schedule
• Help you and your loved ones be active partners in your care
• Provide 24-hour access to health care support
• A variety of services offered in a clinic setting responsive to your schedule and health needs
• Link you to other resources and support services in your community
• Assist you be as independent and healthy as possible, and have a really great quality of life

Saint Elizabeth Health Care provides hospice palliative care services that support both the individual facing a life-threatening illness and his or her family. Improving quality of life is a key focus of the care that is delivered by our team of nurses, personal support workers and therapists. Our staff have skills and knowledge in relieving pain and other distressing symptoms.
Recognizing that individuals living with illness are also faced with many needs, our staff are able to integrate the psychological and spiritual aspects of care to assist the individual and family in coping with their situation. Our hospice palliative care team offers a support system to help people live as actively as possible until death, and to assist families during the person’s illness and during bereavement. SEHC works collaboratively with your doctor to provide active and compassionate therapies in order to comfort and support individuals and families.
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Palliative care is an approach to care for people who are living with a life-threatening illness, no matter how old they are. The focus of care is on achieving comfort and ensuring respect for the person nearing death and maximizing quality of life for the patient, family and loved ones.
Palliative care addresses different aspects of end-of-life care by:

• managing pain and other symptoms
• providing social, psychological, cultural, emotional, spiritual and practical support
• supporting caregivers
• providing support for bereavement

Palliative care may also be called hospice palliative care or end-of-life care. In some cases, these terms are used interchangeably or in combination. In others, they refer to different types of services or providers. For examples of different definitions and terminology, visit the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the World Health Organization (WHO)
The field of palliative and end-of-life care includes providing care services directly to the patient, family and loved ones. It also includes the education and training of care providers, research, surveillance and advocacy. Individuals, families, communities, the private sector and governments all play important roles in the field of palliative and end-of-life care.