As Palliative Care Week 2024 approaches, the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) is calling on people in Dublin to think about palliative care and to talk to family, friends and people in their community about what palliative care means to them. The Palliative Care Week 2024 campaign will take place on 8 – 14 September and is dedicated to raising public awareness and increasing understanding of palliative care and its benefits. Its goal is to better inform people in communities across the island of Ireland about what palliative care is, when it may be needed and the benefits it can bring to the quality of life to those living with a life-limiting illness, their families, carers and those close to them.
This year’s theme is ‘You, Me and Palliative Care’. It reflects the commitment of AIIHPC and its member organisations to emphasise the message that palliative care affects us all, and the importance of community in the provision of palliative care services and supports.
With this theme in mind, a first of its kind all-island event will take place in Newry on 9September. The Compassionate Communities in Palliative and End of Life Care Conference is a free event open to the public which aims to promote a compassionate response from communities to support people with palliative care needs including at the end of life and bereavement supports for families and friends. The conference will raise awareness about the challenges people face when dealing with dying, death, and loss in our communities, highlight successful community responses and initiatives, and discuss constructive solutions to build more equitable compassionate communities.
Karen Charnley, AIIHPC Director, said “This year’s theme of ‘You, Me and Palliative Care’ was chosen to remind people about the different ways that palliative care can touch any of our lives. It may be through our own journey or that of a friend or family member. It may be as a health care professional who experiences caring for someone with palliative care needs and those close to them. Palliative care is everyone’s business and there is always support available. Community is our focus this year and our Compassionate Communities Conference will underpin this key message. The conference will hear from organisations and individuals across the island of Ireland, as well as personal stories. This year for Palliative Care Week we want to connect with as many people as possible in and help them to be better informed about all aspects of palliative care.”
Fintan Fagan, Chair of AIIHPC and Chief Executive Officer, St Francis Hospice, Dublin added “We want to encourage conversations about palliative care among families and communities, to inform those who feel that they may need support now or in the future and make it easier to ask those necessary questions and to feel more reassured and comfortable to seek the information that they need from their healthcare providers. We also want to emphasise the value of community and of being responsive to the needs of others in our own communities who may be receiving palliative care, it may be just having a chat with our neighbour or sharing information about supports in your local areas.”
