Misconceptions of palliative care

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Misconceptions of palliative care

Let’s change the conversation about death. Instead of fear, let’s focus on support, care, comfort and lasting memories.


Debbie Emmerson, Director of Hospice Care believes the goal of palliative care is to provide comfort and dignity for the person living with the illness as well as their family.

It’s likely that you’ve heard the term palliative care before. When the words ‘palliative’ and ‘care’ enter a person’s health journey, right away people think “oh my goodness, I am dying!” But palliative care is not synonymous with death.

I think palliative care should not be feared. 

It is a supportive label that includes pain and symptom management, but also psychological, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs of each person and family. Palliative care services help people who are ill live out their remaining time with comfort and dignity.

In our health care society, so much focus is given to coming into this world, and minimal focus is given to leaving this world. This is a mistake because both have equal value.

Within the residential hospice environment, people get the benefit of qualified end-of-life palliative care physicians, nurses, social worker and volunteers. They and their families receive the support from palliative experts on how to die in comfort with compassionate health care providers who understand.

Our hospice staff supports the journey of life.

It is my belief that quality of living can take place up until that last breath.  Whether it is the taste of a raspberry, maple syrup on a pancake, the sound of a favourite tune, or the smell of homemade soup, each experience enhances living in that moment, and cannot be replaced. It is these shared moments with family that help those closest to the individual through the bereavement period.

I once took a guest on a tour of the hospice. In the middle of the tour, he broke down into tears. I wondered what I had said that made him upset.

After a few minutes he looked at me and said, “my mother had an awful, stressful death and should have been somewhere like this.” 

Not only was he so upset for his mother, but he also lived with the guilt of her poor experience. On another occasion, during a tour, a family member shared how comforted he was to get hospice support for his wife. He was relieved and eager to return to his role as a loving husband instead of her primary caregiver.

This is what we do here. We give people the opportunity to direct their dying experience by supporting their choices. Our hope is that this experience will comfort friends and families for the rest of their lives. So let’s change the conversation about death. Instead of fear, let’s focus on support, care, comfort and lasting memories.


For more information about palliative and end-of-life care at Kensington: 


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Posted in Featured, Featured Hospice, Hospice on Jul 30, 2019

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