A Quiet Corner of Healthcare We Rarely Talk About
When we think about health, we often picture doctors fighting hard to cure illness, surgeries saving lives, or children getting vaccines. But there is another side of health care that is just as important, though much quieter. It doesn’t always aim to cure. Instead, it focuses on comfort, dignity, and support. This is palliative care.
Each year, during the first full week of May, Canada marks National Hospice Palliative Care Week. It’s a time to stop and talk about something we don’t talk about enough: how we care for people who are living with serious illness or nearing the end of life.
But this week isn’t just about recognizing caregivers or wearing a ribbon. It’s about understanding a problem, a real, human problem that affects families across the country every single day.
What Is Palliative Care, Really?
Let’s make it simple. Palliative care is care that helps people who are sick, really sick, feel better. Not just by trying to fix the illness, but by treating the pain, the worry, and the hard parts that come with it. This care helps people feel more comfortable, more in control, and more human when things are hard.
It’s not just for people who are dying. It’s for anyone facing serious illness, at any age.
It can happen in many places: at home, in hospitals, in nursing homes, or in hospices. It’s not just about medicine. It’s about listening. Holding someone’s hand. Making sure their choices are respected. Helping their families breathe again.
So why, then, do so few people get it?
Not Enough People Know, and Not Enough Services Exist
Here’s the truth: most Canadians don’t know what palliative care really is. And even worse, many don’t get the chance to receive it, even if they need it.
According to recent national data, less than 60% of Canadians who needed palliative care at the end of their lives actually received it, and many of them only in their final days. Some never got it at all.
Why is this happening?
- People think it’s just for dying patients.
That’s not true. Palliative care can be given at any stage of illness, alongside treatment. - Some doctors don’t bring it up.
They may be afraid it sounds like “giving up.” But patients are often the ones who need comfort the most and early on. - It’s not available everywhere.
In big cities, you might find palliative care teams. But in smaller towns or rural areas, it’s much harder to access. - Cultural stigma keeps people silent.
Talking about illness, aging, or death is still taboo in many homes. Some people are afraid to speak up or don’t have anyone to ask.
The Emotional Toll of Ignoring Palliative Care
Imagine watching someone you love go through pain, fear, or confusion without help.
Imagine not knowing who to call when your mother can’t sleep from her cancer pain, or when your grandfather is too weak to eat but refuses to go back to the hospital. Imagine a child scared of losing their parent, but no one explains what’s happening.
Palliative care isn’t just for the person who is sick. It’s also for the family, for the tired daughter who’s trying to care for her dad while raising kids, for the friend who’s afraid to say the wrong thing, for the nurse who wishes she could do more.
When palliative care is missing, everyone feels it. Stress builds. Pain goes unmanaged. People feel lost. We can and must do better.
What Palliative Care Actually Looks Like
Here’s what good palliative care can look like:
- A nurse sits by a patient’s bed and listens to their fears without rushing.
- A doctor helps manage pain with care, not just medicine.
- A social worker helps a family talk about hard things they’ve avoided for years.
- A volunteer brings soup or reads aloud from a favorite book.
- A care team helps someone stay at home, instead of being in a hospital they dread.
This kind of care isn’t flashy. It doesn’t make headlines. But it changes lives in small, powerful ways.
It reminds people they are more than their illness. It gives them back some control. It gives their loved one’s peace.
Myths We Must Break
During National Hospice Palliative Care Week, one of the main goals is to clear up the myths that keep people from asking for this care.
Here are a few truths that need to be louder:
- Palliative care does not mean giving up.
It means focusing on what matters to the person whether that’s walking their dog again, seeing a grandchild’s birthday, or simply sleeping through the night. - It’s not just for cancer patients.
It helps people with heart failure, kidney disease, dementia, ALS, and many other illnesses. - It doesn’t only happen in the final days.
The earlier it starts, the better it works. People who get palliative care early often live longer and feel better. - It’s not about death. It’s about life.
Life with meaning. Life with less pain. Life with dignity.
Why This Matters to Everyone, Even If You’re Healthy?
You might be reading this and thinking, “This isn’t for me. I’m young. I’m fine.”
But here’s the thing: we’re all going to need care someday or we’ll be the ones giving it.
Maybe your mom. Maybe your partner. Maybe your child’s teacher. Serious illness touches all of us eventually. And when that time comes, you’ll want to know that there’s a kind of care out there that sees the whole person, not just the disease.
Talking about palliative care now helps us prepare. It helps us protect the people we love. And it helps us build a healthcare system that works for the human heart not just the human body.
How You Can Help
You don’t have to be a doctor or nurse to make a difference. Here are simple but powerful ways you can help bring more palliative care to Canadians:
- Start a conversation.
Talk to your family about what kind of care you’d want if you got seriously ill. - Ask your doctor questions.
If you or someone you love is dealing with a serious illness, ask about palliative care early. - Learn and share.
Visit chpca.ca to learn more and share what you find with others. - Support your local hospice.
Many run-on donations and volunteers. Even a small gift or a few hours of your time makes a real difference.
Let’s Make Comfort a Right, Not a Privilege
Too many Canadians live their final months, weeks, or even years without the comfort they deserve. Too many families are left to figure it out alone. Too many people never hear the words “palliative care” until it’s far too late.
Let’s build a Canada where palliative care is understood, available, and respected. Where no one feels alone in their pain. Where care is about people, not just prescriptions.
Because in the end, palliative care isn’t about dying.
It’s about living, right to the very end.