In Canada, people have several options for care in the final stages of life. This page explains those options.
Know your local options
The availability of end-of-life care services varies by region. Your health care team can help you find out what’s actually available near you before you decide what feels right.
Approaches to care
Disease-modifying treatments
For some people, end-of-life care may still include treatments that aim to slow the progress of a disease or reduce its impact. While they may not cure the illness, they can sometimes ease symptoms or help the person feel comfortable.
These treatments might be used alongside palliative care, and decisions often evolve over time. Eventually, some people decide the potential side effects and effort required for hospital visits outweigh the benefits of treatment.
Palliative care
Palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for people living with serious illnesses. It aims to provide comfort and relieve pain and other symptoms while supporting emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
While often thought of as a specific type of service, it’s also a broader philosophy known as a “palliative approach to care” and can be integrated at any stage of illness, not just at the end of life. It can be provided alongside treatments intended to cure or manage an illness and is not limited to the final days or weeks of life – many people receive it early in their illness, sometimes as soon as diagnosis.
Palliative care can involve a team of professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, and other specialists who work together to support both patients and families. Your health care provider can help you understand when palliative care may be appropriate for you.
Where palliative care can be provided
Palliative care can be provided in several settings, depending on your needs and circumstances. Settings may include:
- at home, with support from health care providers and community services
- in a hospital, particularly if symptoms require specialized care
- in a hospice, where care focuses on comfort near the end of life
- in a long-term care home, with ongoing medical and personal support
Learn more about the support offered in each setting.
Planning for medical assistance in dying
If you may want the option of medical assistance in dying (MAID), it can help to ask about policies of different care settings, such as hospitals, hospices, or long-term care homes, prior to admission. Some do not allow MAID on site. Others allow it for existing patients but do not admit people solely to receive MAID.
Learn what to do if finding a place to receive MAID is a challenge.
End-of-life decisions
End-of-life care in Canada can include a range of medical decisions, often made as a person’s condition changes. Decisions to refuse care are made by the patient in consultation with their health care team, and are intended to reflect the wishes and values of the patient, rather than prolong life.
Options include:
Voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED)
Deciding to stop eating and drinking in order to allow a natural death to occur, typically with medical support to ensure symptoms are carefully managed.
Voluntary stopping of care (VSC)
Deciding to stop life-sustaining treatments – such as medications or dialysis – when the burden outweighs the benefits.
Palliative sedation
The use of consciousness-reducing medications to relieve symptoms – such as pain or emotional distress – that cannot be controlled in other ways.
Do not resuscitate (DNR) orders
Deciding not to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency procedure used to restart the heart when it stops. A do not resuscitate order indicates your decision to health care providers.
Medical assistance in dying (MAID)
Deciding to seek MAID involves assessments to determine whether people meet specific eligibility criteria, and is only available to people who are covered by publicly funded health care in Canada. That generally means citizens and permanent residents. Learn more about MAID.
Assisted dying outside of Canada
Some people choose to travel to Switzerland, where assisted dying is permitted for non-residents. These services operate under different laws and eligibility criteria than Canada’s MAID program. To learn about assisted dying in Switzerland, see the Dying With Dignity Canada website.
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End-of-life care questions to discuss with your health care provider
What level of medical intervention do I want as I approach the end of life?
Where would I prefer to receive care if my illness progresses?
What types of care and support are available near me?
How might each option affect my quality of life?
What kinds of support are available for my family and caregivers?
Choosing what feels right for you
These conversations can bring clarity, even when it feels difficult. Take time to ask questions and seek support from people you trust.
Reflecting on your values can help guide your decisions and ensure your care supports the quality of life that feels right to you. As a starting point, try the Values Reflection Tool .
