Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

The vast majority of the 250,000 Canadians who die each year, mainly of old age and progressive ill health, do not have access to specialized hospice or palliative care. Hospice and palliative care programs are unevenly distributed across Canada, with existing programs limited in capacity and services varying considerably across programs. End-of-life (EOL) care is defined as "The services that may be needed by dying persons and their families or friends in the last year of life, as well as bereavement services following death." Although some health and social services may be available, most dying Canadians are in the difficult position of not having ready access to a full range of services that could ease their final days of life. Most are thus at risk of uncoordinated and potentially inadequate EOL care. This has implications for government policies and for family and individual practices.