Total Deaths To Increase By 159% Over The Next 20 Years

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) is a unified day of action held every second Saturday in October to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world.

WHPCD 2022 will be a day where communities and healthcare providers unite and raise their voices to advocate for policies and programs that support the grief and bereavement needs of patients and whanau. This year’s theme is “Healing Hearts and Communities.”

The experience of grief and the need to heal, unite people globally. Millions of families and caregivers are grieving the death of family and friends while experiencing social isolation.

In New Zealand a recent study has shown that between 2021 – 2043 it is projected total deaths will increase by 159% and the total number of people using hospice by 136%. New Zealand’s population is ageing which means more people will die when they are older.

As a consequence, people are likely to experience longer periods of illness as they approach end of life. And because the current health system does not prioritise referrals to hospice, many health organisations are providing what palliative care they can when specialist hospice care is not available.

Mercy Hospice Medical Director, Dr Pam Jennings says that the burden of severe illness and health related suffering, and the corresponding need for palliative care, are immense. Yet palliative care is still not accessible to most people in need, especially in low and middle-income communities.

“Everyone living with life-limiting illnesses regardless of their ethnicity, beliefs, cultural background, disabilities, orientation or social status, deserve the highest levels of compassion, dignity and specialist care, and Mercy Hospice continues to deliver this specialist care 24/7 through our dedicated and committed team of nurses, doctors, social workers and councillors”, continued Dr Jennings.

“Now, due to the impact of the COVID-19, hospices around New Zealand, including Mercy Hospice, have a bigger gap between funding and operating costs, making us more reliant than ever on generous community support. We provide our services for free, but we can’t sustain this without our supporters”, said Dr Jennings.

Palliative care is an important healthcare specialty providing holistic end of life care right through the dying process, and with a rapidly ageing population, the need for palliative care services is quickly growing. As the need for palliative care increases exponentially but receives less funding, Mercy Hospice also needs support to continue its service to the Auckland community.

All services through Mercy Hospice are offered free to patients and their families, regardless of age, ethnicity, means or religion, thanks to the generosity of our community.

Together, we can do much to change our response by ensuring we can provide palliative care to anybody, anywhere within our community.

Please join us. Together we can bring palliative care to everyone.

Mercy Hospice receives support through shopping at our retail shops or donating at www.mercyhospice.co.nz.

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