That deeply personal experience, earned at the bedside of so many
individual Canadians, has taught us important universal lessons:
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We have learned that dying is an integral and fundamentally human stage of living,
and that when physical and emotional needs are sensitively met, the journey toward
death – though always difficult – can be a rich and profound experience that gives
meaning and completeness to life. |
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We have learned that it is essential to manage pain and other symptoms effectively
so that those facing death, and their loved ones, can devote their energies not to
fighting physical discomfort, but to embracing the life of mind, heart, and spirit. |
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We have learned that living with life-threatening illness is tough, demanding and
intense for loved ones as well as the patient. But with practical, emotional, and
spiritual support through all the stages of illness and bereavement, loved ones can
also experience privileged moments of special communication, growth, and even joy.
Such moments can be a shared gift. |
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We have learned that everyone faces death in his or her own way. Retaining the power
of individual choice – about medical treatments, about the care setting, about practical,
emotional, and spiritual services – is essential. Exercising choice preserves dignity
and prevents isolation from the daily business of living. |
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We have learned that patients and their loved ones must be well-informed, active decision-makers
and partners in the care team, prepared to be advocates for the quality of care they
deserve at the end of life. |
These are fundamental lessons, drawn from the living experience of hospice palliative
care patients, families, volunteers and professionals over many years. They are lessons
of hope, comfort and practical advice. They must be shared broadly if Canadians are
to have the quality of life at the end of life that they want for themselves and their
loved ones. The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and the hospice palliative care movement, in partnership with The GlaxoSmithKline
Foundation, launched the Living Lessons® campaign to open that public dialogue and to promote understanding of the quality
care that is possible at the end of life. |
