Editor: I agree many Canadians are suffering because of insufficient palliative care. This is mainly due to three factors:
1) most families are unprepared/unwilling to provide care at home
2) there are insufficient funds allocated to palliative care, and
3) in order to receive palliative care a person must fit the “profile.”
At present, cancer seems to be the only eligible diagnosis.
I suggest public awareness of the needs/experiences of those nearing death needs to dramatically improve in this culture, also the government policies need to be rewritten to include other fatal illnesses.
Norma Johnson,
Langley
