As Alberta’s population continues to age, end of life care is of vital importance. Dr. Eric Wasylenko is devoted to ensuring his patients received the best possible care during their final days.

The Foothills Country Hospice near Okotoks, a peaceful environment with a spectacular view of the mountains, was conceived by Dr. Wasylenko while he practiced as a family physician in the region.

“I had a number of patients who were facing end of life,” recollects Dr. Wasylenko. “It was really interesting how much, as a family doctor, we could be involved in the deep part of their lives, their hopes and their fears, their aspirations and the legacy of their life.”

The hospice was the first of its kind in Canada. It opened in 2008 on land donated by a local family. Residents in the eight palliative care beds enjoy the surrounding scenery, as all rooms face the foothills and mountains.

Patty Power has been a nurse at the hospice since day one, and had worked alongside Dr. Wasylenko.

“Eric has always been kind of a mission led individual so he would always bring anything we do, any actions or decisions that we were making back to our mission statement and our core values,” said Patty. “He would help us to navigate situations and decisions that we would have to make.”

Dr. Wasylenko’s contributions to the hospice include the creation of a group of dedicated volunteers.

‘They're critical to our functioning,” explains Patty. “The support they provide to the health care team and more importantly at the bedside with our patients and supporting our families.”

Eric Wasylenko continues to work in end of life care but has also become deeply involved in medical ethics.

“It's interesting that medical ethics and end of life care really are very intertwined,” explains Dr. Wasylenko. “Lots of people who do end of life care in their practices, whether they're physicians, nurses, pastoral care workers or others, do either have grounding in ethics or gravitate towards that field.”

The Canadian Medical Association recently honoured Dr. Wasylenko for his work in medical ethics.

For his contributions to end of life care and medical ethics, Dr. Eric Wasylenko is this week’s Inspiring Albertan.

With files from CTV's Darrel Janz