On 10th October, hospices and palliative care providers across the world will be working together for the annual World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. They will be sharing a simple message, “Palliative Care: it’s my care, my comfort”.

With this in mind, Msunduzi Hospice have made available a few videos showing the impact of the care that we provide. These videos are accessible on this link.

Palliative Care is about helping patients and their families through specialised care to live and die well. How is this done? The theme for World Hospice and Palliative Care day is ‘Palliative Care: it’s my care, my comfort.’ This can best be expressed by a few short sentences describing how Palliative care is delivered and received. My care, My comfort is:

• respecting my autonomy in the fragility of the disease and at the end of my life;
• the ability to chose how I would like my condition to be managed. I am able to chose what and who I feel comfortable with in my care team. This provides me with the comfort of knowing that I am in control;
• to continue to grow as a person in spite of my serious illness;
• a fundamental human right to be free from pain, to enjoy a good quality of life, to enjoy interaction with my loved ones, and to carry out the activities that give me pleasure;
• my right to be accompanied during my illness and not have to face it alone;
• my right to dignity, to respect for my beliefs or absence of them, to recognise that my principles and values should guide the decision making process;
• psychological and spiritual support to enable me to live with my illness with equanimity;
• spiritual support that is based on my needs and beliefs, not those of my care givers;
• optimal management of pain even if complete relief from pain is not always possible;
• accessing palliative care at an early stage in illness journey so that I can live with my illness in the best possible way for as long as possible;
• compassion, kindness, respect from my care givers, both health care workers and others, as a person, not just an illness; (my thanks to Drakenstein Palliative Hospice).

Palliative Care is about walking alongside, not leading, nor following, just being with.

We care because you matter, help us to care for you.