Sunday, October 14, 2012
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2012
Happy World Hospice and Palliative Care Day everyone!
Photo via Abaconda (cc) via Flickr |
I just wanted to mark this day, October 13th, 2012, as events happened all over the world to recognize our field and bring attention to the patients and families we care for. Events occured internationally and in the United States.
On the international version of ehospice.com website, it reported that the WHO estimates that "24 million adults require palliative care at the end of life each year... Despite this growing need, 42% of countries still have no identified hospice and palliative care service, while 80% of people live in countries with little to no access to medication for the treatment of moderate to severe pain." There are so many patient who need us to advocate and care for them, so the events of today are exciting...
There was a run in Addis Abbaba, Ethiopia, a walkathon in Kerala, India, a human chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a flashmob in Cimislia, Moldova, a short film festival in Taipei, Taiwan, and many, many other concerts, celebrations, and workshops. There were also film screenings of the Life Before Death movie , which is something that is relative easy to do whereever you are, especially as they are discounting the DVD set 50% for the month of October.
I hope you had a good World Hospice and Palliative Care Day! Let's keep it going this month and all year round!