"Palliative care" first emerged in Canada in the mid-1970s as a medical specialty serving primarily cancer patients. In recent years, palliative care has expanded to include all individuals living with life-limiting illnesses. An aging population has increased the demand for palliative care, which is provided by a variety of providers. The goal of palliative care is to alleviate suffering and improve quality of life for people suffering from life-limiting illnesses by providing:
- Pain and symptom management;
- Psychological, social, emotional, spiritual, and practical support; and
- Support for caregivers during the illness and after the death of the person they are caring for.
Individuals, families, and communities should be at the center of palliative care. In essence, this refers to an approach to care that places the individual receiving care, their family, and the community at the center of decision-making. Treatment considerations are based on the patient's values and wishes. The voices of people with life-limiting illnesses and their support systems are heard and respected as part of person-family-community-centered care.
Palliative care incorporates all of these approaches, but also extends them to the end of life, including bereavement support services.
CHPCA takes us on a wonderful journey through the history of this specialized care on their Milestones in Hospice Palliative Care in Canada. It is important to note that British Columbia, hospice societies, its healthcare providers, as well as the BCHPCA, have played an integral role in the past with the hospice movement and continue to do so in the present and future in order to advocate for an inclusive, accessible, integrated, quality hospice palliative care system in our province.
Below we highlight the key strategic areas that the BCHPCA uses to further its advocacy goals within the hospice palliative care sector.
Integration of hospice palliative care into primary health services
The BCHPCA will strive to integrate hospice palliative care services into the wider healthcare system in order to guarantee its accessibility and acknowledgement as an essential component of health.
This entails fostering partnerships with policymakers, educational institutions, and healthcare providers to advance hospice palliative care education and training, establish uniformity in practices, and incorporate these services into primary care, hospital, and community health environments. The objective is to establish an uninterrupted chain of care that provides assistance to individuals at every stage along their illness progression, thereby enhancing health outcomes and quality of life.
Advocating for a population health-based approach to grief and bereavement care
All forms of grief and bereavement support are important, and it is essential that there are mechanisms to ensure these are accessible, timely, evidence based, and sufficient to support a population health based approach to care.
While policies commonly focus on the provision of specialized professional support, it is also vitally important to build the capacity of the informal and community support networks where most help is provided, and most grieving is undertaken. It is important not to underestimate what family, friends and community (which translates to a compassionate community) can bring to many grieving and bereaved people. Hospice societies are uniquely positioned to provide support and education and broaden the community reach in supporting those needing support in community.
This will involve targeted campaigns to raise public and governmental awareness about the importance of a health-approach to palliative care, emphasizing its role in enhancing overall health system efficiency and patient well-being.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)
a. Culturally Sensitive Care Initiatives:
BCHPCA aims to enhance palliative care services through culturally sensitive initiatives. This involves training healthcare providers to understand and respect the cultural, spiritual, and social needs of diverse populations, including BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. By fostering a healthcare environment that values and integrates patients' diverse backgrounds, BCHPCA seeks to ensure equitable and accessible palliative care for all.
b. Outreach to Underserved Populations:
BCHPCA plans to expand hospice and palliative care services to underserved and vulnerable populations, such as the structurally unhoused, homeless, remote areas, those with diverse neurodiverse and physical abilities.
Initiatives include targeted outreach programs, mobile palliative care units, and partnerships with local community organizations to address healthcare disparities. By focusing on these areas, BCHPCA aims to eliminate inequities in palliative care access and provide compassionate care to all residents, promoting equity and inclusivity across the province.
Through policy engagement and expert guidance, BCHPCA strives to advocate for the integration of palliative care and grief support within the broader healthcare framework.
Ways to support and advocate for hospice palliative care in BC and YT. |
Become a MemberBecoming a BCHPCA member means supporting hospice palliative care in BC and your community, while joining a movement for service awareness, accessibility, hope, and inclusion for those with life-limiting illnesses. You also gain membership to the national organization CHPCA and access to additional member services | Become a Service or Program SponsorBecome a service or program sponsor with BCHPCA to engage with the community and support knowledge transfer through annual events like the Hospice Education Days and Lunch & Learn Series, fostering impactful programs and initiatives. |
VolunteerHospice societies in BC highly value their volunteers, who play an essential role in delivering care. With your support, we can expand our services and vision. Volunteers contribute in various ways, from fundraising to counseling. Join your local hospice today and be part of the palliative care community | Stay ConnectedStay informed with our monthly newsletter, InTouch, and receive the latest news, programs, and resources in hospice palliative care from BCHPCA, CHPCA, and beyond! Sign up for email updates and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay connected. |
Be part of the change you want to see in Hospice Palliative Care.
Please visit our Election Page for further election priorities, key messages, etc.
Join in our social media advocacy!
Feel free to use the following taglines and hashtags when posting on social media or speaking with elected officials, candidates and policy makers.
Engaging Social Media Taglines
- Hospice palliative care is about living well to the end of life.
- Demand for hospice palliative care is increasing rapidly due to the aging population.
- Hospice societies provide grief, bereavement, and psychosocial support to the public at no charge.
- Hospice and palliative care are available to all, including children.
- Hospice palliative care provided at home or in a home-like setting in the community is desirable and cost-effective care.
- @bchospicepalliativecare, @bchospice.palliativecare
- @BCHPCA, @bc-hospice-palliative-care-association
#BCHPCA #MyCareMyway
Resources & Awareness
- Economic Club of Canada: Hospice and Palliative Care in Canada
- Month of Giving: Executive Director Interview with Global News
- UBCM Hospice Endorsement
- 2022 Public Town Hall Recording
- First-of-its-kind Hospice Care Report Released Outlining a Bold Plan to Improve Hospice Care in BC
- Volunteers, vital to the future of hospice care and part of the essential care team – Pandemic or not
- Common Challenges, Shared Priorities: Measuring Access to Home and Community Care and to Mental Health and Substance Use Services in Canada
- BC Coroners Office: Unregulated Drug Death Report and Dashboard
- Promising Practices for Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care
About the associationBCHPCA represents its members: individuals and organizations that deliver hospice/palliative care and bereavement services and programs across British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. | Contact usEmail: office@bchpca.org Unit 1100- 1200 West 73rd Ave, | Stay InTouchKeep up to date on upcoming events and recent job postings |
The BC Hospice Palliative Care Association (BCHPCA) recognizes the traditional land of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples who have walked before us and minded the lands we now call home for time immemorial. Hospice Societies have been able to support, aid and care for many people on these same lands. The BCHPCA Offices are located on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and TsleilWaututh Nations.
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