Mary Schumacher, Chief Executive of Hospice New Zealand, explains: “The purpose of Hospice Awareness Week is to raise awareness of the care and support the 29 hospice services around the country provide – but also to spread the underpinning philosophy of hospice – to live every moment – throughout the community.”
Schumacher explains that the national awareness week is also an opportunity for everyone to step back from the daily grind and think about who and what is important and what living every moment means in a personal sense. “You don’t have to be dying from a life-limiting condition to take the opportunity to review how your life is going, to ask yourself what living every moment means to you,” she said.
During 2013 hospice services in New Zealand provided care and support for more than 15,600 people living with a life-limiting condition. Most people are cared for in the community – in the same year hospice staff made more than 152,000 visits to people in their homes.
As in many other countries, hospices in New Zealand reply on support from their local communities to provide these vital services. Local people are involved in fundraising and volunteering – 2012 over 11,000 people volunteered over 980,000 hours of their time for hospices.
Each year hospices around the country hold a range of events during the awareness week – including open days, concerts and auctions – to encourage people to find out more about hospice care and “celebrate living every moment”. Details of this year’s events can be found at hospice.org.nz
Hospice Patron Jo Seagar adds: “I really hope everyone takes the opportunity to support their local hospice – there is so much happening throughout the country. Open days, memorial services, street appeals and hospice cuppa events.”
As part of the week, Hospice New Zealand has also produced a short video to explain and promote hospice care:
Leave a Reply