Palliative Care
Counselling therapy can help people facing end of life care decisions. This is a challenging experience for both the person with the illness and their family members.
The focus of palliative care is to manage pain and support one’s emotional and spiritual well being.
Palliative care offers compassionate, holistic support to those facing end of life. By focusing on the multifaceted needs of people and their families, it not only alleviates physical discomfort but also addresses the emotional, psychological, and spiritual challenges that arise as people face end of life.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy can involve:
- Supporting Emotions: Noticing, affirming and allowing a range of feelings such as sadness, depression, isolation, fear, loss, loneliness, grief. Therapists can help clients to respond to their loss with self kindness and compassion. Mindfulness techniques can be offered to help clients make room for their loss and provide meaning around it.
- Exploring Meaningful Questions: Providing space to process "What is a good and meaningful death?" to help individuals reflect on their values and wishes.
The Benefits of Palliative Care
Pain Management
Pain and other distressing symptoms are challenging to manage. Palliative care explores ways to provide relief from pain and provide options for comfort care.
Social, Psychological, and Emotional Support
By fostering a supportive environment, palliative care helps people navigate the complex emotions that come with loss/grief.
Spiritual Support
Tailored to the individual's beliefs and values, this aspect of care offers space to discuss meaning amidst the health crisis.
Caregiver Support
Recognizing the immense pressure many caregivers face, palliative care extends its support to caregivers, offering resources and a safe environment to help them cope with loss, sadness and suffering.
Palliative Care Resources
Here are some resources that can help with palliative care. These are not meant to be a substitute for therapy, but can be a helpful supplement. Lassen Counselling has no affiliation with any of the following resources unless otherwise stated, and cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.
Dying With Dignity Canada
Dying With Dignity Canada advocates for fair access to palliative care, educates Canadians about it, identifies system gaps, ...
Ontario Caregivers
Palliative Care Helps the Caregiver Too: Highlighting the importance of caregiver well-being, this resource offers peer suppo...
Hospice Palliative Care Ontario
Finding Information and Services for Care: The Hospice Palliative Care Ontario website serves as a comprehensive resource for...