World Hospice and Palliative Care Day – October 14, 2023

Death and dying are challenging subjects for many people - often a taboo in our society. Many people suppress the thought of the end of life and especially of their life.
Old or chronically ill people who are tormented by fear of pain, dependence and helplessness often feel just as alone as relatives of dying people.
This is where the hospice and palliative care movement comes into play. Their basic idea: Every person should be able to die safely, accompanied by understanding human care and as painlessly as possible - and that means with dignity.

One thing we know for sure: we will die. And yet many people are completely unprepared for the news that this final phase of their life has begun. Others thinking, considering, balancing long and intensively with death – their own and that of their nearest and dearest.
But they too are often afraid - not just of pain, but of losing control over their own bodies and over their own lives. Before being at the mercy. Some people are so afraid of endless suffering that they take their own lives or have the option to die in and with dignity at their own will.

History of Hospice and Palliative Care

Throughout time, people have suffered life-limiting illnesses but there wasn’t always a system in place to make sure that their last days were comfortable. In the nineteenth century, the action of hospice care was taken on primarily by women. They were religious and philanthropic volunteers that serviced the sick across countries and continents without knowledge of each other. The attention hospice care would achieve in the next century would be because of these women. By the twentieth century, more hospitals with hospice care were established. Medicare authorized formal hospice care in the 1990s and the treatment of such efforts was taken more seriously. Today, there are thousands of hospice agencies across the globe and it continues to grow. The first World Hospice and Palliative Care Day was held in 2005 and it’s been going strong ever since.

Former article about Hospice and Palliative Care and an article I wrote about the relation and appreciating  of hospice, palliative care and dying with dignity, medical assistance in dying - and my view - why nobody should play both ends against the middle -  It's your life. It's your choice. 

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