A new study shows that 58 per cent of Canadians who died in 2021-2022 received palliative care—an increase of six per cent compared to 2016-2017—which was driven by community care.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information report, Access to Palliative Care in Canada, measures progress in accessing such supports.
Director of Health System Analytics with CIHI, Tracy Johnson, says most people would prefer to die at home if they were supported in the appropriate ways.
Photo via CIHI
The numbers are increasing, which Johnson says is encouraging because as the population ages, the needs for home and community care increase.
Johnson says location is one of the biggest challenges when accessing palliative care. People who live in rural areas are more often admitted to the hospital for such services.
Another factor is disease course.
She says people who have cancer are more likely to be identified as requiring palliative care than a patient with dementia—she says that may be because the trajectory of someone with dementia could be a long time.
Johnson says another important piece to the conversation is medically assistance in dying. She says it’s critical that people aren’t choosing MAID because they are unable to access palliative care.
