Home palliative care: give informal caregivers proper support

  • October 23, 2023
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Elderly lady displaying a sad expression at the bedside of her sick and bedridden spouse.
Corps

A woman filed a complaint against a health network agency that had failed to give her proper support when she was caring for her dying spouse at home. 

She said that she had not gotten all the information she needed to carry out this difficult task. Moreover, she thought that the caregiving staff would visit more often. As a result, she had to injection certain medications on her own. Her spouse died after she administered an injection without being supervised. Sadly, the woman believed that she had triggered his death. This was completely untrue.

Because the Protecteur du citoyen intervened, the agency now provides the contact information for a professional who can be reached at any time. People at the end of life and their families are also better informed about the degree of caregiver involvement. Lastly, the agency reminded its staff about best practices.

To learn more about this real-life case, see our 2022-2023 Annual Report (in French).

The Protecteur du citoyen ensures that your rights are upheld in your dealings with Québec public services. Are you dissatisfied with the services of a Government of Québec department or agency? Or with those of a health and social services network institution (2nd level of recourse)? File a complaint by calling 1-800-463-5070 or using our online complaint form.