October 13th is the first National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day in Canada. The campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of pediatric hospice palliative care and improve the quality of living and dying for infants, children and youth with life-threatening conditions and their families.

Canuck Place is BC’s pediatric palliative care provider for children with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. Our team of physicians, nurses, counsellors, therapists, staff, and volunteers provide medical respite care, pain and symptom management, art, music, and recreation therapy, end-of-life care, grief, loss, and bereavement counselling. All at no cost to families.

Canuck Place Medical Director, Dr. Hal Siden, explains a few of the myths that surround pediatric palliative care and the work Canuck Place does.

Myth 1: Adult palliative care is the same as pediatric palliative care.

Myth 2: Canuck Place is just for end-of-life care.

Myth 3: Canuck Place must be a sad place to work.

Myth 4: Canuck Place helps keep families whole by caring for parents, siblings and grandparents. How does this work?