Canadian bishops call for greater focus on palliative care in health care, medical training, community

With euthanasia rates soaring across the country, Canada’s Catholic bishops are appealing for greater emphasis on palliative care, including better end-of-life training for doctors and a call for policymakers to prioritize palliative services in health care.

On Oct. 24, a working group following up on the International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care held in Toronto last May issued six targeted recommendations to improve palliative care services:

• Enhanced education by training health-care professionals in palliative care to address patients’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
• Prioritizing palliative care in health-care policy with more funding, clear standards, and ensuring that palliative care is widely available and properly supported across Canada.
• Community involvement through local organizations and faith communities that actively support palliative care efforts and create a network of support for those at the end of life.
• Recognizing the importance of spiritual care at the end of life by integrating spiritual and pastoral support into palliative treatment plans.
• Ensuring access to high-quality end-of-life services for all Canadians regardless of location, economic status, or background.
• International collaboration through global partnerships in the palliative care field, sharing best practices and resources, promoting better care, and fostering innovation in the field.

The recommendations come from a working group of Canadian and American academic experts in palliative care following the International Interfaith Symposium on Palliative Care, Towards a Narrative of Hope held May 21 to 23. The symposium was organized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in partnership with the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The group of Canadian and American academic experts in palliative care will now begin a new phase of resource development and advocacy based on the recommendations, the bishops said in a press release. 

In a statement included with the recommendations, the group said the Christian roots of palliative care serve as a “model of care” to “prevent and ameliorate the physical as well as the spiritual and psychosocial suffering of those facing serious, life-threatening, or life-limiting illness.” 

The statement highlighted Pope Francis’ message to the symposium participants in which he encouraged the practice of “authentic palliative care” with the Christian understanding of “staying with – or being present to – those who are ill and dying” as a “sign of the charity and hope that are at the heart of the ministry of caregiving.”

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