Do you have a life-limiting illness and need help managing it? Are you a caregiver or family member of someone who has needs related to a life-limiting illness?
If this describes you or someone you know, palliative care may be able to provide the support you need. A common misconception about this type of care is that it’s just for people who are dying. This is not the case. Palliative care can be provided at different stages of a disease’s progression: from diagnosis of a life-limiting illness up until the end of life and at every stage in between.
Palliative care uses a team approach that includes nurses, doctors, pharmacists, social workers, psychologists, spiritual counsellors/chaplains, volunteers and other professionals who work together to improve the quality of life for the patient and their family. The members of the team and services are determined by the patient’s needs and goals.
Palliative care can include symptom and pain management, and other ways to relieve suffering, whether it’s mental or spiritual. It offers a support system to provide patients comfort and dignity, and the best quality of life for them and their family, including bereavement care of significant others.
Many people can benefit from palliative care, from children to older adults who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness or informed by a medical professional that death can be expected.
Palliative care can be provided in different settings in New Brunswick, including at a:
- clinic or doctor’s office,
- patient’s home,
- nursing home,
- adult residential facility such as a special care home,
- hospital, and
- home-like setting called a hospice that specializes in end-of-life care. There are three in New Brunswick: one in Saint John, Bobby’s Hospice, one in Fredericton, Hospice House and one in Moncton, Albert House. There is one more in development for Miramichi.
Hospice services can support palliative care in any type of setting. It can include volunteer programs and supportive care in the community. Hospice care may also be provided in a community facility or in a hospital when appropriate.
Palliative care can help with:
- managing pain and other symptoms related to the illness or treatments,
- providing social, psychological, emotional and spiritual support,
- supporting a patient to live as actively and fully as possible,
- supporting a caregiver (including advice on providing care from medical and other health care providers),
- allowing for a more peaceful and dignified death, and
- supporting a patient’s family before and after their death.
Who qualifies?
You qualify for palliative care if you:
- have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and are looking for relief from your physical symptoms, pain or have other social/spiritual needs related to your disease,
- are a resident of New Brunswick, and
- you have a valid New Brunswick Medicare card or in the process of getting one.
How do I access palliative care?
There are different ways to receive palliative care, depending on whether you have needs associated with managing your life-limiting illness or are nearing the end of your life. There are also different requirements to access palliative care in different settings.
Some options for accessing palliative care include:
- Primary care providers: Speak with your family physician or nurse practitioner about accessing palliative care to address unmet needs.
- New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program (EMP): This provincial home health care program provides palliative and end-of-life care to help individuals remain at home if hospital level care is not required. If you want to stay at home, a clinical assessment can be requested by you, your family or someone acting on your behalf with your consent. To request the services, you can speak to your primary care provider or call the Extra-Mural Program Care Coordination Centre toll-free number at 1-844-982-7367. The referral form can be found here. Forms can be printed and faxed to 506-872-6601 or e-mailed to EMPCC@Medavienb.ca. Click here for more information.
- Hospitals: All hospitals offer palliative care, including end-of-life care. Some have designated palliative teams and/or palliative care units. Contact your doctor about accessing palliative care in a hospital. Click here for a list of Horizon Health Network hospitals. Click here for a list of Vitalité Health Network hospitals.
- Community-based end-of-life hospice services: Click here to access a list of hospice organizations and their services, including bereavement care, available in your region.
- Hospice facility services: Services vary depending on where you live in the province. Click here for Bobby’s Hospice in Saint John, click here for Hospice House in Fredericton and click here for Albert House in Moncton.
- Nursing homes: Palliative care can be provided to residents in a nursing home. To live in a nursing home, you must meet the requirements of either the Long Term Care Program or the Disability Support Program. Click here for more information about how to qualify for the Long Term Care Program. Click here for details about the Disability Support Program.
- Adult residential facilities: Palliative care can be provided to residents in these settings. You must meet the eligibility criteria of the Disability Support Program (click here for details) or Long Term Care Program (click here for more information) to qualify. Palliative care can be supported by the New Brunswick Extra-Mural Program in this setting (click here for more information.)
FAQs
How can I find out about palliative care in my community?
You can reach out to one or more of the following:
- the New Brunswick Hospice Palliative Care Association (email info@nbhpca-aspnb.ca or click here for more information),
- your family doctor or nurse practitioner,
- your Extra-Mural Program service providers (nurse, licensed practical nurse, respiratory therapist, dietician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, social worker and speech language pathologist),
- your social worker,
- your spiritual counsellor, and
- organizations that advocate and support caregivers and patients with illnesses such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Alzheimer Society, the Kidney Foundation, the Canadian AIDS Society or others as appropriate.
How can I ensure my wishes are met?
It is wise to talk to your loved ones about your wishes. You can also put your wishes in writing so that if you are unable to communicate them in the future, your family and health care providers will know what you want.
To help you with that process and to learn more about advance care planning, click here. As part of your advance care planning, you can create a health care directive, a document you use to give instructions about health care decisions that someone may have to make for you if you lose capacity. (Link to Social Supports NB page on health care directives once it’s live.)
Other resources
- Click here for resources for patients, families and professionals from Canadian Virtual Hospice.
- Click here for a framework on palliative care in New Brunswick.
- Click here to access palliative care resources from the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.
- Click here for resources from the Government of Canada.
- Click here for a national framework on palliative care in Canada.
