Hospice care helps people at the end stage of a terminal illness to remain comfortable in their home, in a residence, or hospital.
Tips & Links
The goal of hospice care is to prioritize your comfort and provide assistance for your health care choices, emotional well-being, palliative care requirements, and cultural support during the final phase of your life.
Learn More
- Learn about hospice and palliative care in your home, hospital, or long-term care setting by Healthlink BC.
- Learn some of the practical steps in providing end-of-life care including sleep, fluids, medications, and mouth and physical care from Virtual Hospice Canada.
- When exploring hospice care programs – consider using the assessment checklist developed by Healthlink BC.
- Explore family resources and supports from the BC Centre for Palliative Care.
- Learn about medical assistance in Dying (MAiD) in BC and how to navigate the steps for medical assistance in dying from Dying with Dignity Canada. Things to consider are how to start the process (might take up to 7 days to coordinate), getting (2) assessments, and where and who you want to support the provision of MAiD.
Things You Can Do
- Share your values, beliefs, and any concerns about end-of-life care, the dying process, death and after life preferences.
- Think about and voice your choices around personal boundaries and privacy and confidentiality during your illness and after your death.
- Create a personal care plan that includes your end-of-life comfort measures, visitors list, and cultural spiritual beliefs.
- Review the steps to take if you are planning an at home death in BC from the Government of BC. This needs to be an ‘expected’ death, confirmed by your physician, a Do Not Resuscitate or No CPR order completed and supports in place.
- Learn about MAiD and how to navigate the steps for medical assistance in dying from Dying with Dignity Canada.
- Let your health care professionals, care partners and family members should know if you have a Do Not Resuscitate or No CPR order, a written advance directive or Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) document, are an organ donor, and/or if you have a written advance care plan.
- Learn how to arrange for ‘at home’ end-of-life care, if you are not already connected to home care services from the Government of BC.
- Review the steps to take if you are planning an at home death. This needs to be an ‘expected’ death, confirmed with your physician, a Do Not Resuscitate order or No CPR form completed and supports in place. Learn more from the Government of BC.
Find Support
- Find some peace of mind by sharing your feelings and exploring end-of-life choices with the people you trust.
- Discuss your decisions with family, trusted individuals, and those responsible for specific tasks. While these conversations may be emotional, they can be essential for peace of mind.
- Explore the option of having those close to you connect with a peer support volunteer prior to a medical assistance death from MAID Family Support.
- Learn about how other families and family caregivers are coping with the grief and loss of a loved one through Family-Caregivers of BC.
- Find space and opportunity to incorporate meaningful cultural and spiritual rituals or practices into your health care journey and end-of-life care.
- Learn about how palliative care includes sources of support to meet your emotional, spiritual, and social needs from the BC Centre for Palliative Care.
- Seek meaningful guidance from those you trust to support your end of life care and decisions as outlined by Healthlink BC.
- Explore the many resources for end-of-life support provided by Dying with Dignity Canada.
Mywell Health helps you organize your health choices and decision documents in one place. File both digital and print copies and information under My End of Life Decisions.