The decision to enter hospice palliative care may be a difficult step for a patient and their family. However, there are a number of supports and services that are available for Albertans at each point of their journey.
For example, in Alberta, you often have a choice where you would like to receive end of life care.
These options might include
- your own home
- a hospital
- a free-standing hospice
- a long-term care centre or supported living setting
- an assisted living facility or group home
Talk with your health care team and family to determine what will work best for you at any given time.
Accessing hospice palliative care services in Alberta depends on the area in which you live. Here’s a guide to help.
North Zone:
The North Zone is the area north of Edmonton.
- Call Community Care Access at 1 855 371 4122 to find out what palliative care services are in your North Zone community.
- Talk to your doctor or health care provider to access hospice care in a hospital or hospice. They will usually need to make a referral for you.
- You will need a referral for services such as the hospice beds in Grande Prairie’s Prairie Lake Hospice . Call 780 357 5700 for more information.
Edmonton Zone:
The Edmonton Zone includes the city of Edmonton and the areas south, east and west.
- Call Community Care Access at 780 496 1300 to learn more about palliative home care in the Edmonton Zone.
- Ask your doctor or health care provider for a referral to the in-hospital Palliative Care Consult Service.
- For all other palliative services in Edmonton zone, you will need to ask your doctor to complete a referral.
Central Zone:
The Central Zone is the area between Edmonton to Calgary, east to west.
- Call Community Care Access at 403 341 2130. For palliative home care, or access to hospice care in a facility, you will need to ask your doctor to complete a referral.
- People dealing with end of life issues, grief, and loss of a loved one can get support and counselling through various services. Call 403 343 4832 for more information.
- There are a number of hospice groups in the Central Zone that support hospice palliative care with services in various settings. To find the community based hospice closest to you, please check the AHPCA Resource Directory.
Calgary Zone:
The Calgary Zone includes the city of Calgary, and the area north to Didsbury, south to Claresholm, west to Lake Louise, and east to Gleichen.
The following information for the Calgary Zone is from MyHealth.Alberta .
Palliative Care Consult Teams are available to give expert advice for complex issues in all settings of care in the Calgary Zone. Doctor and nurse specialists, and sometimes other health care professionals such as social workers, are members of these teams.
In the City of Calgary, there is a Palliative Care Consult Team that serves:
- Each hospital;
- Tom Baker Cancer Centre;
- Home Care; and
- Continuing Care and Supportive Living sites.
You need a referral from a health care professional to be seen by a Palliative Care Consult Team. You can tell your health care team that you would like a referral to the Palliative Care Consult Service.
If you live in Calgary: Ask your family doctor or health care provider to refer you to general home care. Or call Community Care Access at 403-943-1920 to self-refer for general home care. Your home care team will refer you to palliative home care and/or the Palliative Care Consult Service (urban) if needed.
If you live outside of Calgary: Ask your family doctor or health care provider to refer you to home care. Your doctor or the home care team (with your doctor’s approval) will refer you to the Rural Palliative Care Consult Service if needed.
Residential Hospices in Calgary Zone: The Calgary Zone has seven community residential hospices. They provide palliative care 24/7 in a home-like setting to people with life-limiting illnesses. The goals of care are focused on comfort and quality of life.
(You can find hospice listings on the AHPCA Resource Directory)
Tell your health care provider you would like to know more about hospice or ask for a Calgary Zone hospice brochure. You may also call the Palliative Care Consult Service at 403-944-2304 or the Hospice Access at 403 944 1614.
South Zone:
The South Zone includes areas south from Oyen, Bassano, Brooks, and Fort MacLeod.
- If you live in Lethbridge or elsewhere in the South Zone, call Community Care Access at 403 388 6380 or the Palliative Care Team – South Zone at 1 866 388 6380.
- If you live in Brooks or Medicine Hat, call Community Care Access at 403 529 8084.
- Please ask your health care professional for a referral to palliative care services.
For more information about hospice palliative care services in Alberta, check out the AHPCA online Resource Directory, or call us at 403 206 9938.
