National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day in Canada Date in the current year: October 10, 2024

Palliative care is an approach to caregiving focused on improving the quality of life and reducing the physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffering for individuals with serious illnesses. The term was first coined by Canadian physician Balfour Mount. The primary objectives of palliative care include alleviating unpleasant symptoms, minimizing pain, enhancing comfort, and addressing psychological and emotional distress. While sometimes confused with end-of-life care, palliative care can benefit patients at any age and any stage of illness.

Palliative care can be provided in a variety of settings, including hospices. Hospices are healthcare facilities focused on providing palliative care to terminally ill patients; among them are children’s hospices that are specifically designed to help children and young people who are not expected to reach adulthood. Children’s hospices help terminally ill infants, children, and adolescents with the physical and emotional challenges they face, give their primary caretakers a respite, and provide bereavement support for family members.

Pediatric hospice palliative care has a number of differences from adult hospice care because infants, children, and young people facing a life-limiting disease, as well as their families, have unique physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs that require unique approaches. It is about more than preparing for death and loss; it is about helping children and their families to make the most of every moment they have left.

Pediatric palliative care emerged in Canada in the late 20th century and has been growing steadily ever since. It is officially recognized by the government and professional associations that establish professional standards in pediatric palliative care. As of 2024, Canada had seven pediatric hospices (in Calgary, Milton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Quebec, and Vancouver), as well as a number of pediatric palliative care programs at children’s hospitals and health centers in every province.

The National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day campaign is coordinated by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) and the Canadian Network of Palliative Care for Children (CNPCC). It was launched in 2019 to raise awareness of the importance of pediatric hospice palliative care for improving the quality of living and dying for infants, children, and youth diagnosed with life-threatening conditions and their families.

Canada’s National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day is not the only national observance focused on children’s hospice care. A similar awareness day, called Children’s Hospice Work Day (Tag der Kinderhospizarbeit), is observed in Germany on February 10.