Palliative Social Work in Canada

Abstract

Canada is a large and sparsely populated country with two official languages and a history of colonization with the Indigenous peoples who were there before the arrival of settlers from Europe. Healthcare is universal and federally mandated to be provided; however, delivery is determined by each province and territory. Therefore, services vary from one area to another. Palliative care access is not uniformly available throughout the country. Medical assistance in dying (referred to as euthanasia elsewhere and referred to as MAiD in Canada) was legalized in 2016 and also has great variation across provinces and territories. Social workers are involved in various aspects of both palliative care and assisted dying. Social workers have also demonstrated leadership in competencies, education, and research.

L’aide médicale à mourir a-t-elle protégé la santé mentale des personnes endeuillées pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 ?

“…En dehors du Québec, la substance mortelle peut être administrée par la personne malade elle-même. Les expressions AMM et Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) en anglais ont été choisies parce que l'euthanasie et le suicide assisté sont des termes controversés (Cadell et Bosma, 2022). Ainsi, au Québec et dans le reste du Canada, cette introduction d'une nouvelle façon de mourir transforme de façon importante le paysage des soins de fin de vie et du deuil.…”