This week, St. Joseph’s Hospice - along with other charitable hospices across the UK - is encouraging the public to support their local hospice in whatever way they can - whether by donating, volunteering or showing they care on social media - during Hospice Care Week.
The theme for this year’s Hospice Care Week – which takes place from 8-14 October and is led by national hospice and palliative care charity Hospice UK – is “Heart my Hospice.”
St. Joseph’s Hospice will be encouraging members of the public to share these using the hashtag #HeartMyHospice and to wear green, the hospice colour, during Hospice Care Week.
The British public is very supportive of hospices and has considerable goodwill towards their work. Hospice UK is hoping to build on this further to encourage people to actively support their local hospice.
More than nine in ten people (92 per cent) say that hospices are “an important asset to their community” according to an earlier ComRes survey commissioned by Hospice UK.
More than half of those surveyed (52 per cent) have interacted with a hospice in some way, such as donating money to help support hospice care (27 per cent).
And more than a third of those surveyed (37 per cent) say they would be willing to volunteer for a hospice, with one in seven (14 per cent) saying they would be “very willing” to work in a hospice.
Mike Parr, chief executive of St. Joseph’s Hospice, said: “Hospice Care Week is really important as it helps to raise awareness of hospices and the specialist care and support they provide to patients and their families living with a range of life-limiting conditions.
“By wearing green or sharing your love for the hospice on social media, using the hashtag #HeartMyHospice, you’re helping us to show others how important hospice care is and how valuable charitable hospice, like St. Joseph’s Hospice, are to their local communities so please get involved.”
Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive of national hospice and palliative care charity Hospice UK, said: “Hospices have a special place in people’s hearts, especially for those who have seen first-hand the incredible care they provide to loved ones.
“Like other charities, hospices are operating in a difficult economic environment and many are also facing additional challenges, such as those related to staff recruitment. So, it has never been more important for people to support their local hospice.
“We hope that during Hospice Care Week the public will take up the opportunity to show their affection for hospices whole-heartedly and demonstrate their support in practical ways whether donating, volunteering or spreading the word about hospice care on social media.”
Each year across the UK more than 200,000 terminally ill people receive hospice care. Hospice care supports adults and children living with life-limiting conditions to live life as fully as possible. Its wide-ranging support includes medical care, wellbeing therapies such as massage, emotional support such as counselling and volunteer-led support, including befriending.