End-of-Life

The end-of-life stage may be sudden and brief or it may last days to weeks.

Tips & Links

• Planning for the end of your life can relieve stress and ensure your wishes are followed. Think about where, when, how, and with whom you want to die, if you have the choice.
• Review these questions for end-of-life care from Advance Care Planning Canada to help you and those around you prepare and plan.
• Learn how to arrange for ‘at home’ end-of-life care, if you choose and are not already connected to home care services.
• Consider the physical and emotional challenges of end-of-life care from HelpGuide.org and whether dying at home or if hospice care is best.
• Learn about the practical steps in taking care of someone at the end of their life including care for your caregivers, sleep, fluids, medications, mouth, and physical care from Virtual Hospice Canada.
• Review the steps to take if you are planning an at home death in 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.
• Explore the many resources for end-of-life support provided by Dying with Dignity Canada.
• Learn about MAiD 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.
• Your health care professionals and caregivers should all 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.
• Compile and confirm that all your end-of-life decisions and documents are organized such as your DNR order, will, representation agreement, advance care plan, and power of attorney. Your Mywell Health planner has been designed to organize all your decision documents in one place – keep digital and print copies in the section My End-of-Life Decisions.

Tools – Handouts & Videos