More good days, at home
Palliative care is not only about the last days. It is about living as well as possible with a serious illness, for as long as possible, in the place that feels most like yourself. For many people in Central Alberta, that place is home.
Alberta Health Services provides the clinical side of palliative home care: nurse case management, symptom management, and coordination. What families tell us they need more of is hours. Someone there through the evening. Someone there overnight. Someone who makes lunch, helps with a bath, and sits with your person so you can sleep, work, or simply breathe.
That is the layer we provide. Supportive, non-medical care that works alongside the AHS team, built around comfort and dignity.
How home support works alongside AHS palliative care
You do not have to choose between the public system and private care. Most families use both. Here is how the pieces fit together.
Palliative, hospice, or end-of-life care?
The words get used interchangeably, but in Central Alberta they point to different things. Palliative care is the whole approach to comfort and quality of life with a serious illness. Red Deer Hospice is a residential facility for people in their final months. End-of-life care at home, which is what this page is about, is for people who want to remain in their own home. We can help you think through which fits, and we will be honest if home is not the right answer.
1. AHS provides the clinical team
Nurse case management, symptom assessment, and care coordination come through AHS palliative home care. These professional services are publicly funded for eligible clients.
2. Getting connected starts with a call
Health Link at 811 can arrange an assessment, no referral needed. In the Central Zone, new home care clients can also call the intake line at 1-855-371-4122.
3. We add the hours around the clinical care
Personal care, meals, companionship, overnight presence, and breaks for the family. The AHS team handles the medical. We handle the day.
4. Funding can help more than most families expect
AHS-authorized home care hours can be directed to us through CDHCI, which includes clients with end-of-life care needs. A separate program, Alberta Palliative Coverage, covers eligible prescriptions and more for Albertans diagnosed as palliative.
5. Care adapts as needs change
Visits can grow from a few afternoons to overnight support to around-the-clock care, without changing teams or telling your story twice.
What end-of-life support at home includes
Comfort is built out of small, human things done reliably. Every plan is written for one person and one household, and it changes as the situation changes.
Personal care with dignity
Bathing, dressing, hygiene, and safe movement, handled slowly, privately, and with respect for the person behind the illness.
Overnight presence
Nights are often the hardest part for families. An overnight caregiver means your person is never alone and you actually sleep.
Respite for family caregivers
Caring for someone at the end of life is heavy. Scheduled breaks keep you standing. See our respite care page.
Meals and the household
Meal preparation, dishes, laundry, and light housekeeping, so the home keeps running while your attention is where it belongs.
Companionship and calm
A steady, familiar presence. Conversation when it is wanted, quiet when it is not.
Support for the whole family
We can point you to local grief and bereavement supports in Red Deer when the time comes, including programs run by the hospice and AHS.
Why families trust Better Way in the hardest season
This is the season where reliability stops being a feature and becomes everything. We take that seriously.
The same faces, every visit
No rotating cast of strangers at the door in the most vulnerable weeks of a family's life. Consistency is the foundation of trust.
A care plan built around comfort
Written before the first visit, shaped around routines, preferences, and what a good day still looks like.
Trained, vetted, and prepared
Every caregiver is background-checked and completes mandatory training before their first client visit. They arrive ready.
We care for the whole household
The client comes first, but spouses and children are carrying this too. The relief extends to everyone in the home.
Backed by our guarantee
Our guarantee is simple. If you are not happy after your first three visits, we give your money back. No fine print, no hoops. So far, no one has needed it.
what our clients are saying...
You do not have to do this alone
Call 403-967-1919 and tell us what is happening. We will listen, explain what support at home can look like, and help you connect with AHS palliative care if you are not there yet. Straight answers, no pressure.
Book a consultation