Palliative Care Week 2022
11 – 17 September 2022
Living as well as possible
Background
Palliative Care Week is a reminder to all of us of the importance of being better informed about palliative care and its benefits. It is an important awareness week in our annual calendar, please see our Programme of Events for more information on how you can get involved.
Palliative care not only helps the person with a life-limiting condition- meeting their physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs….it also helps the quality of life of the family, friends and carers of the person receiving palliative care. A life-limiting condition includes advanced cancer and non-cancer conditions such as heart and lung disease, dementia, frailty and other progressive neurological illness such as Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone Disease,
It is important to have conversations about care- even before the need may arise. Whilst it is difficult to face serious illness there are many supports that can help you.
The care provided by the palliative care team aims to support the person to live as well as possible, regardless of the person’s age, condition or stage of illness.
‘It’s life care. It’s about looking after you and doing things that make you feel energised and better. And it’s about time, time for you and your family’.
Keith, living as well as possible with Motor Neurone Disease
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
| Event | When | Where | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Photographic Exhibition, ‘We See You’, Launch | Monday, 12th September 2022 | Derry Central Library |
 | Dying: The Beginning of the End People with Serious Mental Illness and Addiction Education Session | Monday, 12th September 2022 | Virtual (HSC Staff) |
 | Death Positive Libraries NI, Newry Launch | Tuesday, 13th September 2022 | Newry Library |
 | Community of Practice Launch | Wednesday, 14th September 2022 | Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy |
| Fresh flowers, football shirts and surgical gowns, how these make a difference in Spiritual Care | Thursday, 15th September 2022 | Virtual (HSC Staff) |
 | Advance Care Planning Webinar | Thursday, 15th September 2022 | Virtual (Education Authority) |
2022 Key messages
Key Messages:
Palliative care:
- Helps to improve the quality of life of a person with a life-limiting illness.
- Provides a care plan tailored to the individual needs of the person including the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the person, their family, carers and those important to them.
- Enables the person to continue to do some of the things that they enjoy, such as hobbies and spending time with family.
- Supports people at any age and at any stage of their illness.
- Helps people to talk about what is important to them and to make decisions about their care and their wishes.
- Provides physical supports for symptoms, and practical supports through to enable the person to maintain or regain a good level of independence.
