Providing compassionate, respectful care at the end of life is a vital and meaningful part of the Health Care Aide (HCA) role. This module focuses on the HCA’s responsibilities, scope of practice, and essential competencies within this area of practice.

HCAs will examine relevant legislation, ethical considerations, and person-centred approaches while gaining practical strategies to support comfort, dignity, and quality of life for clients and their families. This module prepares HCAs with the knowledge and awareness to provide safe, compassionate, and person-centred care to clients.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, HCAs will be able to:

• Explain the principles of palliative and end-of-life care and the HCAs role within a person-centred care approach.
• Describe key legal, ethical considerations and personal beliefs related to hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care, including personal directives, substitute decision making, and medical assistance in dying (MAID).
• Describe common patterns of decline, physical changes at end-of-life, and comfort measures used in the final days and hours of life.
• Apply safe, person-centred, and individualized care strategies for clients receiving palliative or end-of-life care.
• Identify communication strategies to support palliative and end-of-life clients and respond appropriately to emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial needs.

Describe strategies to support families before, during, and after death, including grief, loss, cultural practices, and creating meaningful spaces for remembrance.