Hospice Care Week is an annual awareness-raising event to raise the profile of hospice care across the UK. This year our theme is ‘Hospice Care Is…‘
Hospices will be highlighting the many and varied aspects of hospice care, and what it can mean to people, their families and communities.
Key messages
• Hospice care is high quality, personalised care for adults and children living with terminal and life-limiting illness, supporting them to live life as fully as possible.
• Hospice care is there for everybody who needs it, no matter how young or old, and supports people with a wide variety of illnesses.
• Hospice care is built around what is important to the individual and their loved ones.
• Hospice care can be out in the community, reaching people in all sorts of ways including: community outreach programmes, befriending schemes to reduce loneliness, school projects to raise awareness about hospice care and bereavement support.
• Hospice care is provided wherever someone may be – not just in a hospice building. The vast majority of hospice care is provided in people’s own homes.
• Hospice care puts the needs of the individual at the centre.
Key statistics
One in three people will be touched by hospice care at some point in their lives.
• The Digital Legacy Association supports hospice and social care professionals with areas relating to digital assets and digital legacy. Support is provided by providing free resources, running training courses and campaigning.
• Hospices across the UK support around 360,000 people each year – that’s 120,000 patients and 240,000 family members.
• More than 125,000 people give up their free time to volunteer in hospices each year. The Digital Legacy Association runs the annual Digital Legacy Conference (last year at St Joseph’s Hospice) to raise awareness and standards amongst professionals supporting patients and the general public with their digital assets and digital legacy.
This year’s Hospice Care Week will take place nationwide between the 3rd to the 9th October 2016.
