We are really lucky to be working with the Irish Hospice Foundation. The more we get to know them the more in awe we are of their work. Lots of people don’t know what it is that they do, so we wanted to share this piece from the Irish Examiner that explains one of their programmes really well. The article talks about the Hospice Friendly Hospice programme. It explains how
“….according to Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) research, 43% of us die in acute hospital settings. Seven in 10 want to die at home but — for many of us — that wish is not fulfilled.
This prompted the IHF to develop the Hospice Friendly Hospitals (HFH) programme, to bring hospice principles into hospital practice. “The primary focus in acute hospitals is on treating and curing people, not on end-of-life care. We set up the HFH programme to ensure end-of-life care becomes central to the everyday business of hospitals,” says Jackie Crinion, HFH programme manager.”
The programme is really incredible and it gives everyone in hospitals the skills to extend the hospice philosophy into a non hospice setting:
“the HFH programme, which provides one-day training to hospital staff, from doctors to receptionists, porters to nurses. ‘Do you think I’m dying?’ a patient might ask the tea-lady or nurse. “Staff who’ve been through the programme say that prior to training they’d have avoided the question. Now, they stop what they’re doing and sit with the patient. The question is a cue that the patient wants to have the conversation, so the staff member allows the person say what’s on their mind. It’s about training people to have a conversation, rather than training to give the right answer.”
You can read the full article from the Irish Examiner here or find out more here.
Conor Byrne
Head of Digital
Source: Original article posted in the Irish Examiner on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, by Helen O’Callaghan