Honoring Dr. Balfour Mount: The Father of Palliative Care
- Amy Shaw, PA
- Sep 30
- 2 min read
On September 25, 2025, the world of medicine lost a giant. Dr. Balfour Mount, often called the father of palliative care in North America, passed away at age 86. His life’s work changed the way we understand serious illness and the end of life, and his influence continues to ripple through my own work today.
Dr. Balfour Mount and the Origins of Palliative Care
In the 1970s, while working at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital, Dr. Mount saw firsthand how poorly hospitals met the needs of patients at the end of life. Pain was undertreated. Emotional and spiritual suffering went unrecognized. He traveled to London to learn from Dame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement, and came back determined to bring that same compassionate approach to Canadian hospitals.
In 1975, Balfour Mount’s palliative care vision became reality when he launched North America’s first in-hospital service at Montreal’s Royal Victoria Hospital. His work laid the foundation for a global movement that continues to shape how patients and families experience serious illness.
Why Dr. Mount’s Work Matters to Me
My own career has been deeply shaped by palliative care. The questions Dr. Mount asked are the same questions I ask every day in my work with families:
How do we relieve suffering, not only physical but emotional and spiritual?
How do we preserve dignity when so much is being lost?
How do we make sure patients and families feel supported in the midst of overwhelming change?
How My Work Is Rooted in Palliative Care
My work in comprehensive dementia care is deeply rooted in the palliative care model that Dr. Mount helped pioneer. Palliative care teaches us to look beyond the disease and to focus on the person and their family as a whole. It asks us to relieve suffering in every dimension—physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational—and to make sure no one feels abandoned on the journey.
In dementia, this approach is essential. Dementia unfolds slowly, changing both the patient’s abilities and the family’s daily life. There is no single moment when “palliative care begins”—instead, it must be present throughout the journey. By centering patients and families, guiding them through difficult decisions, and protecting dignity at each stage, I see my work as a continuation of Dr. Mount’s vision.
Continuing His Legacy
Dr. Mount showed us that medicine is not only about curing; it is about caring. My mission at Better Dementia is to carry that torch forward for families living with dementia. By teaching caregivers, building systems of support, and insisting on dignity at every stage, I hope to continue what Dr. Mount began.
His passing is a reminder that we stand on the shoulders of pioneers. Because of him, countless patients have experienced less pain, more peace, and more humanity in the hardest of times. For that, I am deeply grateful.
Rest in peace, Dr. Mount. Your vision lives on.
—
Amy Shaw, PA
Founder, Better Dementia
