It is a holistic form of treatment that delivers medical, spiritual, recreational and emotional services to patients and their families. An important objective of palliative care is relief of pain and other symptoms.

The goal of palliative care is comfort and dignity for the person living with the illness as well as the best quality of life for both this person and his or her family. It offers the terminally ill an option for end of life care that meets their needs and those of their loved ones.

Far from a traditional hospital ward, palliative care wings are a comfortable place where patients receive a different kind of care and treatment approach from traditional medicine. Palliative care may be the main focus of care when a cure for the illness is no longer possible.

If a cure or reduction of the illness seems possible, palliative care may be combined with treatments seeking to accomplish this, such as chemotherapy. Palliative care services are helpful not only when a person is approaching death but also at earlier stages in the illness. Families also benefit from support when their loved one is dying and after his or her death.

Senator Carstairs is an avid supporter of palliative care. This approach to end of life care has helped many Canadians cope with their terminal illness, and has provided their loved ones with a more humane approach to medical treatment, and handling issues surrounding death and dying.

When polled, over 90% of Canadians identified palliative care as the type of care they would like to receive at end of life. Given the increasing elderly population of our country, and the rise of terminal illness, palliative care is a health-related issue that Canadians must be aware of.