New increases in healthcare investments and a commitment to transforming services for the aging population in the provincial budget are positive additions, according to Hospice Southeast New Brunswick.

But the organization says it also would have liked to see recommendations for the prioritization of end-of-life issues, including palliative and hospice care.

It says, for many, residential hospice care is an appropriate setting to provide comfort care.

In New Brunswick, access to residential hospice services is limited to residents from the areas of Saint John, Fredericton and Southeast New Brunswick.

Hospice SENB says with an aging population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the demand for care is expected to rise exponentially.