9th September 2024
Palliative Care Week: 8 – 14 September 2024
This Palliative Care Week, people are encouraged to learn more about palliative care and its benefits by visiting thepalliativehub.com for more information.
The theme of this year’s Palliative Care Week is ‘You, Me and Palliative Care’ This was chosen following collaboration with the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care’s (AIIHPC) members and the wider palliative care sector. 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.
Minister for Health, Mike Nesbitt said: “Being diagnosed with a life-limiting condition is not something any of us want to hear; either for ourselves or for a friend or family member. By talking about palliative care, we can challenge the misconceptions around what it is and when it is appropriate. Those conversations are crucial to helping people feel confident in asking healthcare providers for help and finding out what support is available in their community.
“I commend the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care for this year’s Palliative Care Week, which will see so many events and opportunities across communities.”
Heather Reid, Director of Nursing and Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, Public Health Agency said: “Communities play an important role in supporting people with a life-limiting diagnosis. Palliative Care Week provides us with an excellent opportunity to increase awareness, understanding and discussion around palliative and end of life care. With increased knowledge we can all play our part to support those in our community facing challenging times, and help to maximise their quality of life until the end. Together we can all make a difference.”
AIIHPC CEO, Karen Charnley, said: “We see from our research that there is still a lot of apprehension around palliative care. It is understandable as thinking about potentially needing to avail of palliative care support for ourselves or those closest to us is difficult, but during Palliative Care Week, we are encouraging individuals and communities to learn more about how palliative care supports quality of life of people with life-limiting conditions by meeting their physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs. We want to promote a greater understanding of the supports available in communities across the island of Ireland as people being informed about palliative care will make it easier for them to access the services on offer and make decisions about their own care and that of those close to them.”
Almost 7 in 10 adults feel fearful when they hear the term palliative care.
Almost 9 in 10 think about care at end of life when they hear the term.
Almost 7 in 10 (69%) adults in Northern Ireland feel fearful when they hear the term palliative care. The finding is from a new survey of the public’s perceptions of palliative care commissioned by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) to highlight Palliative Care Week, which takes place on 8-14 September 2024.
The survey of 500 people in Northern Ireland carried out in July 2024, also highlighted a number of the positive perceptions that exist about palliative care:
- Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) adults think palliative care also supports the family and carers of someone with a life-limiting condition.
- 7 in 10 (75%) adults think palliative care can benefit people over long periods and not just end of life.
- Over 7 in 10 (75%) adults think palliative care will help them to make decisions about their future care.
- Almost 9 in 10 (86%) adults feel reassured that palliative care could help them or someone close to them
- Half (50%) adults feel hopeful and reassured when they hear the term palliative care