Palliative Care in our Society: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

When we – or a loved one – are sick, we expect our health care system to be there to support us through that journey. Palliative care provides critical support for people with a serious illness to maximize their quality of life and provide comfort, control and dignity. But gaps persist in accessing this care. A recent report from the Canadian Cancer Society, shows nearly all provinces and territories in Canada lack an adequate number of hospice beds, and that governments need to do more to enable the caring, compassionate health care system our society expects. On January 24th, our engaging panel discussed how governments, and indeed, all of us, can tackle this problem together.