The information in this section is intended to help community and primary care providers support their patients with an advanced, incurable cancer. Advanced cancer care requires a collaborative effort between the cancer centre and primary care to fully support the patient.
Palliative Care aims to improve the quality of life for patients and families facing the problems associated with a life-limiting and/or life-threatening illness through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification, comprehensive interdisciplinary assessments and appropriate interventions.
End-of-Life Care is care provided to patients and their families when they are approaching the period of time closer to death, which may be exemplified by an intensification of inter-disciplinary services and assessments such as anticipatory grief support, and pain and symptom management.
General side effects and concerns (not specific to patients with advanced cancer) during treatment can be found in Supporting Patients During Treatment.
Hospice List
Local Tips & Palliative Resources for Providers
Primary Care Access to Palliative Care
If you have questions or suggestions about cancer patient education resources, or would like to request materials, please contact the Cancer Patient Education team at cancer.patiented@ahs.ca.
The 24/7 Palliative Physician On-Call Service is a Provincial service for physicians who do not have direct access to AHS consult service schedules or internal call numbers. (Note - Specialist Link resource for Calgary and area physicians with call numbers is listed in Local Resources)
The AHS Continuing Care Service provides information about continuing care services in Alberta. Includes a service locator tool, information on continuing care services like day programs, home care, and palliative/end-of-life care.
The EMS Palliative & End-of-Life Care (PEOLC) Assess, Treat & Refer (ATR) Program provides information for Health Professionals for palliative or end-of-life care patients in the community including resources and FAQs.
The AHS Home Care Services team provides general information about AHS Home Care services, contact information, as well as informational brochures for patients.
AHS Palliative & End-of-life Care information for Health Professionals includes general info, tools, resources, education, publications, policies, guidelines and initiatives. Information for Patients & Families includes information about PEOLC in Alberta for patients and their families. Available services are listed and categorized by zone with accompanying informational brochures.
The Provincial Palliative Coverage Program is a Government of Alberta program that provides subsidized benefits to Albertans who are diagnosed as palliative and do not have access to publicly funded drugs, diabetes supplies or ambulance services.
Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) includes information for health professionals and patients.
AHS Advance Care Planning/Goals of Care - Information and resources for Health Professionals about Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care including eLearning for non-AHS staff.
Choosing Wisely: Time to Talk Resource - Resources for Health Professionals about Advance Care Planning for patients with serious illnesses.
Summaries and guidelines can be found on AHS Guideline Resource Unit (GURU), under Symptom Management.
Palliative Care Tip Sheets can be found on the Palliative & End of Life Care (PEOLC), Info for Health Professionals.
Patient Navigators are available to help patients at every stage of the cancer journey. Primary Care Providers can refer patients, or patients can self-refer.
Information on Psychosocial Oncology (counselling, spiritual care, support groups and programs) and Rehabilitation Oncology may be found on Supportive Care and Living Well.
