Where care services can be provided

Palliative care isn’t a single place. It’s arranged to fit your needs and where you want to be.

• At home or in the community - Home and community care teams provide symptom management, care coordination, psychosocial support, and planning for your preferred place of care.
• In a continuing care home - If you already live in a Type A, B, or C home, palliative care can be added to the care you receive there, supported by your care team and the palliative consult team.
• In hospital - A palliative consult team works alongside your own physician or nurse practitioner on complex symptoms and advance care planning, recommending care options rather than taking over your care.
• In a hospice - Specialized 24-hour inpatient care nearing end of life, in a Type C continuing care home.
• In a specialized palliative care unit - For very serious, complex symptoms needing intensive management. Once symptoms are stable, you return to the most appropriate care setting.

Who provides your care

Care is delivered by a specialized interprofessional team, which can include physicians, nurses, social workers, and health care aides. The team and the supports available, such as spiritual care and volunteers, vary depending on where you receive care.

Overview

Pediatric palliative care is for children living with serious, life-threatening illnesses. It’s appropriate at any stage of illness, not only near end of life, and it can be provided at the same time as treatment aimed at the child’s condition. It doesn’t mean stopping treatment. Care focuses on the child’s quality of life and supports the whole family.

How referrals work for children

Pediatric palliative care isn’t arranged through the ALA Access Centre. Talk to your child’s health care team, who can make a referral to a specialized pediatric palliative team.

That team works closely with your child’s usual care team rather than replacing them, and can help with a new diagnosis, difficult decisions, and planning your child’s care with you.

Where care services can be provided

Your child and family are seen in the setting of your choice.

• At home - Care is provided where your child lives, alongside your family.
• In hospital or in an outpatient clinic - Specialist pediatric palliative care is available on the unit or through scheduled clinic visits, working with your child’s usual care team.
• In a children’s hospice - A community-based hospice provides specialized care for children nearing end of life, with support for the whole family including grief and bereavement care.

Who provides your care

ASSIST, the Aid for Symptoms and Serious Illness Support Team, is an interdisciplinary team that supports families around new diagnoses of life-threatening conditions, difficult decision-making, and comprehensive care planning.

Resources & support

Visit palliative, grief & bereavement support for support and resources for families, caregivers, and supporters.