Home 2015 September

Archive for September, 2015

Save the date! 2016 Cycle Challenge date announced!

Posted on: September 30th, 2015

Save the date! The Irish Hospice Foundation’s Cycle Challenge 2016

save the date
image-23577
 

   

The Mediterranean Coast Cycle... France & Spain…19th-25th June 2016!

bike
image-23578
  The cycle will take us from the beautiful Beach resort of Canet-Plage in France, along the wild Spanish Coast to the bustling city of Barcelona! Covering over 550kms in 5 days! Full details will be in the event brochure out soon!

Register your Interest NOW!

If you would like to hear about our 2016 Cycle Challenge please fill out the form below and we will email you the details when available.       We are so pleased to announce that Kingspan Ltd. will be the event sponsor again this year!   For more information on this amazing event please click HERE

Irish Hospice Foundation calls for €10m investment in palliative and end of life care services in Pre-Budget submission

Posted on: September 21st, 2015
The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) is calling on the Government to provide an additional investment of €10million in palliative and end of life care services in Ireland, to address critical gaps and inequities across the country. The increased spend would include:
  • An investment of €1.5m in Children’s Palliative Care services, to include funding for 20 new Children’s Outreach Nurses to support the increased number of children living with Life Limiting Conditions (LLC).
  • An initial investment of €1m to provide funding for the night nursing service which allows people to die at home surrounded by family.
As part of its Pre-Budget submission The IHF is also calling on the Government to urgently address gaps in the provision of palliative care and hospice services in the Midland and North East Regions. CEO of The Irish Hospice Foundation, Sharon Foley, said an Economic Evaluation of Palliative Care Services in Ireland, conducted by ESRI and TCD this year, provides compelling evidence that the provision of comprehensive Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) services across all care settings is cost effective. “This piece of research shows that it costs marginally more to provide a full specialist palliative care service in a region – yet this service delivers better quality outcomes for patients and their families. It remains of huge concern that areas of the country remain poorly serviced for a specialist inpatient unit. The Midland and North East regions still have no committed plan in place for an inpatient unit. The current situation is completely unacceptable.” Calling for investment for Children’s Palliative Care Services, Ms Foley pointed to new figures released earlier this year which revealed that the number of children in Ireland living with LLC is 3,840, almost three times the number previously estimated. “With only one Consultant Paediatrician with a special interest in paediatric palliative medicine in Ireland and only eight Children’s Outreach Nurses, there is a considerable shortage of resources given the true prevalence figures. These nurses act as liaison between hospitals, healthcare professionals and parents, enabling seriously ill children to be cared for at home. Many more nurses are needed as due to regional inequities where you live in Ireland currently dictates whether you can avail of this invaluable service.” Another area of concern is the shortfall in funding for night nursing services. The Irish Hospice Foundation funds the Nurses for Night Care service which allows patients with life-limiting illnesses other than cancer to die at home, surrounded by their close family in familiar surroundings. The Irish Cancer Society’s night nursing service is dedicated to those with a cancer diagnosis. Demand for the IHF’s service grew by 25% year on year between 2006 and 2013 and by 20% in the past two years. The service cost the IHF €1.3 million in the past seven years and is estimated to cost €580,000 in 2015. Ms Foley commented, “Funding this service in its entirety is becoming increasing unsustainable due to the growing demand. Research that we undertook in 2014 revealed that 75 per cent of people wish to die in their own homes surrounded by their loved ones. The reality is that only 25 per cent of people will get to do so, due partly to gaps in services. In striving for the best care at end of life we need to ensure that we are facilitating the wishes of the people as best as possible. We only get one chance to have a good death, so we are calling on the Government to prioritise end of life services in Budget 2016.”

Join in the fun of FM104 The Big Ask this September 24th, 25th and 26th

Posted on: September 17th, 2015
FM104-TheBigAsk-Logo (2) Get involved in FM104 The Big Ask on September 24th, 25th and 26th by logging on to www.fm104thebigask.ie where the ideas machine will churn out 104 wacky fundraising ideas to try out with family, friends and work colleagues. From sponsoring the men in your life to take part in a Heel Appeal where they must totter around in stilettos for a day, to hosting a lunchtime dance-a-thon, or auctioning an afternoon off from work, there are many great ways to get involved, raise funds, and have fun! As part of the campaign Dublin’s hit music station, FM104, hosted the longest breakfast show in Ireland on Friday, September 18th, with FM104’s Strawberry Alarm Clock presenters, Jim Jim and Nobby, taking to Dublin airwaves for the inaugural 18 hour stint to raise money for The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF). Don’t have time to organise a fundraising activity? There are a number of ways you can still support The Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) this weekend:
  • Make a donation to The Irish Hospice Foundation (simply select FM104 The Big Ask from the Appeal dropdown)
  • Pop into our Official Retail Partner MACE who are supporting The Big Ask in stores in Dublin
  • Visit the FM104 Roadhog at the top of Grafton Street on Friday and Saturday and make a donation to our bucket collectors
  • Shop in Marks & Spencer Grafton Street and Blackrock where our bag packers will be busy raising money for The Big Ask
  • Go on a CityScape Luxury Dublin Bus Tour and make a donation in the collection buckets to The Big Ask
  • Visit Meaghers Pharmacy who are organising Big Ask activities this weekend and will donate €1.04 to The Big Ask for every sale
The IHF is a national charity dedicated to all matters relating to dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. It receives no core funding from the state and relies on the generosity of donations to fund its many services, including: *   Funding four of the eight Children’s Outreach Nurses, which means very ill children can be cared for at home surrounded by the family. *   Nurses for Night Care, which provides 1,800 hours of vital care and support annually to patients with life limiting illnesses *   Training 3,000 people every year in providing bereavement support Mags Nelson, CEO of FM104 commented, “This is a fun campaign with a serious cause at the heart of it, and we are urging our listeners to get creative and host their own fundraiser to raise money for the IHF, a charity that is helping children, adults and families at end of life, in Dublin, and across the country.” CEO of The Irish Hospice Foundation, Sharon Foley said, “We are delighted to have the backing of FM104 for this unique fundraising campaign. The focus of our work is on ensuring people live well until the end and what better way to celebrate life than to get together with family, friends and colleagues to have fun and support these much needed services. Log onto www.fm104thebigask.ie and start planning your event today!”

Find out more and visit the dedicated Big Ask Website >>> 

Get brewing for Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning this Thursday – September 17th!

Posted on: September 15th, 2015
Pictured at the official launch of Ireland' class=
image-23467

Pictured at the official launch of Ireland's Biggest Coffee Morning 2015 are Sharon Foley, CEO The Irish Hospice Foundation and new Coffee Morning champion, broadcaster Claire Byrne. Picture: Colm Mahady / Fennells.

TV and Radio Broadcaster Claire Byrne has issued an appeal for people to get involved in Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning 2015 on Thursday 17th September and enjoy a Bewley’s coffee to raise vital funds for hospice services across the country. A recent Irish Hospice Foundation survey reveals that three quarters of Irish people want to die at home - but the stark reality is that only one quarter will get to do so mainly due to lack of hospice services* and a serious funding crisis. Supported by Bewley’s, Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning, now in its 23rd year, is one of the biggest annual fundraising initiatives for local hospices. Speaking at the launch Claire Byrne said, “I am delighted to be supporting Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning this year.  I was humbled recently to experience at first hand the work and dedication of staff at St. Francis Hospice in Raheny and to hear of the amazing work that is being done by hundreds of volunteers in local hospice groups all over Ireland. I would urge people across the country to get behind Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning by organising an event for their local hospice group or supporting one on the day.” Mr Pat Quinlan, CEO of Milford Care Centre, Limerick and Chair of the Voluntary Hospice Groups, said at today’s launch: “Ireland’s local hospice services are facing a serious funding crisis as demands for palliative care increase due to our growing aging population. Every hospice service around the country is reporting major funding challenges with services stretched to the limit and hospice services more reliant than ever on the generosity of the public in order to continue with their work.” Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning, has become an institution since it first started brewing 23 years ago. Over 16 million cups of Bewley’s coffee have been enjoyed and an estimated €32 million raised for hospice care nationwide in this period. The continuing success of Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning has been boosted by the development of a thriving coffee culture, with the country going crazy for a good brew. On Thursday 17th September, people in workplaces, homes and local organisations across Ireland are being asked to hold a coffee morning and to collect €2 for each cup of Bewley’s fresh coffee drank. All money raised locally at #coffee4hospice events stays locally and goes directly back to fund local Hospice care services. Hospice or palliative care is for patients and their families at the stage in a serious illness where the focus has switched from treatment aimed at cure to ensuring quality of life. Money raised on September 17th will go towards supporting the many hospice home care teams countrywide. Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning does make a difference. For example in 2014:
  • an average of 3,204 people accessed community specialist palliative care services every month. 23% of these were new patients, 7% above target and a 2% increase on 2013.
  • an average of 740 new patients every month received specialist palliative care in the community, a 1% increase on 2013.
Mark Saunders, Bewley’s Brand Director said “we are extremely proud of our long-standing support of Ireland Biggest Coffee Morning, now in its 23rd year. Hospice care is about ensuring the best possible quality of life for people throughout our communities and for a company that was originally a Quaker company, these community based values continue play a very important role in Bewley’s today. Every cup of our coffee consumed on behalf of Hospice on the 17th September will contribute to ensuring families receive the best care and support possible at end of life and we want as many people as possible to take part all over Ireland. We provide Bewley’s fresh ground coffee free of charge to all coffee morning hosts. The more cups of Bewley’s coffee that people enjoy the greater the benefit that will be achieved for hospices and communities all over Ireland.”  Anyone can host a coffee morning and Bewley’s provides the fresh ground coffee free of charge.  Registration advice and details on how to get your special complimentary Bewley’s fresh ground coffee pack can be obtained by contacting the Irish Hospice Foundation on (01) 679 3188.   People can also register to host a coffee morning on www.ibcm.ie   

LloydsPharmacy to host Celebration Weekend in aid of Irish Hospice Foundation

Posted on: September 15th, 2015
The 2015 Hospice Celebration Weekend is taking place at LloydsPharmacy stores nationwide from 17th – 20th September. For the duration of the weekend, 2% off all sales will be donated to Irish Hospice Foundation. Fundraising events are happening in all stores nationwide over the weekend with donations from these events going to both the Irish Hospice Foundation and to local hospices. Activities include; coffee mornings, free make overs for any donations to Irish hospice and raffles. CEO of The Irish Hospice Foundation, Sharon Foley said, “We are delighted to benefit from LloydsPharmacy special Celebration Weekend again this year. We receive no core state funding and money raised during the Celebration Weekend will be vital as we strive for the best care at end of life for all people in Ireland. We would ask members of the public to drop into their local LloydsPharmacy and join in the fun while helping to support our various services.”  

Be part of a special photo mosaic and pay tribute to your loved ones

Posted on: September 13th, 2015
Forum on End of Life, an initiative of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), is still accepting photographs to create a unique digital mosaic made up of photos of loved ones. The mosaic was unveiled at Forum 2015, the 4th biennial conference on End of Life, in Dublin Castle on September 10th. To be part of this interactive art piece, people can submit a photograph of a loved one, living or dead. It can take the form of a family portrait, a snap of an important occasion, a treasured memory or a moment of laughter or tears. It can be old or new, in colour or black and white. All photos are welcome. Once received, the images will then be brought together with the help of computer art experts, Pollytiles, into a special photo mosaic image of two outstretched hands with the words Noli Timere - meaning 'Don't be Afraid', a tribute to the late Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney. The same two words were referenced during the conference by The Irish Times journalist Mick Heaney, who described the last words of his late father, as he delivered the Mary Holland Commemorative Lecture. Speaking at the conference he said, "On the morning of the operation my father sent a text to my mother that ended with the instruction Noli timere. This wasn’t as portentous as it seems: he frequently used Latin as conversational shorthand. My mother forwarded me the text when she received it; I only spotted it when she phoned to tell me to get to the hospital. He had died on his way to surgery, shortly after composing the message.

"We were devastated, but we seized on his final words as a kind of lifebuoy. It seemed to us that he had encapsulated the swirl of emotion, uncertainty and fear he was facing at the end, and articulated it in a restrained yet inspiring way."

CEO of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), Sharon Foley, encouraged members of the public to pay tribute to a special person in their life by submitting a photograph. “This is a chance to celebrate the people who influence our lives, the people who can make us laugh, who pick us up when we are down, who tell us when we need to shape up and who care about us enough to stick around when things get tough. If you want to celebrate someone, or more than one great person in your life, then this is a simple way of paying that tribute.” To get involved in this very special project just email your image to: photoproject2015@hospicefoundation.ie This latest project follows on from the hugely successful interactive artwork of Forum 2013, when hundreds of people sent in pieces of hessian cloth decorated with the initials of loved ones. The finished piece will also be on display at Forum 2015.   Details of how you can include your photos in this project can be found HERE

We are hiring a Senior Development Officer and Executive Assistant for Healthcare Programmes

Posted on: September 2nd, 2015
For full information on this role click here