Ground-breaking Palliative Care Resolution Adopted at World Health Assembly in Geneva

Signals progress to end unnecessary pain and suffering due to lack of quality care

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization joins other palliative care advocates across the globe in celebrating the resolution on palliative care adopted at the World Health Assembly on May 23, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The adoption of this first-ever resolution calling for the integration of hospice and palliative care  into national health services reflects growing awareness of the unaddressed care needs for the millions of people worldwide with  life-limiting conditions such as cancer, heart disease, HIV, and multi-drug resistant TB.

The resolution outlines clear recommendations to improve access and availability of hospice and palliative care. These include ensuring palliative care is included in all national health policies and budgets, and in the curricula for health professionals.  Iit also highlights the critical need for countries to ensure that there is an adequate supply of all essential palliative care medicines for appropriate pain control for adults and children.

The Sixty-seventh session of the World Health Assembly  took place in Geneva May, 19 – 24, 2014. The WHA is the supreme decision-making body of World Health Organization.

Read the full NHPCO press release (05/28/14).

NHPCO Launches New Moments of Life Campaign

Patients’ and families’ stories show hospice is about more than death – it’s about life

In celebrating the 40^th anniversary of hospice care in the United States, NHPCO is excited to introduce a new national campaign, “Moments of Life: Made Possible by Hospice,” that will show all Americans that hospice focuses on living and enables special moments and memories at the end of a life for patients and loved ones.

A father’s final wedding dance with his daughter; a Veteran’s visit to the WWII Memorial; the opportunity to bring an infant daughter home; an afternoon tea party with grandchildren… these are only some of the moments made possible by hospice.

The Moments of Life awareness campaign will feature stories gathered by hospices across the country of patients and families experiencing hospice care first hand. The stories will take the form of videos, photos, audio recordings and text and will offer a vibrant cross-section of different perspectives of hospice.

“In this campaign, we are looking for real stories that show patients’ abilities to ‘do more’ as a result of their experience on hospice,” said Anita Brikman, senior vice president of communications for NHPCO. “No matter what format is used, these stories should show America that even when you’re dying, there is still a lot of living to do.”

For many who have not seen hospice in action, it has become a common misconception that hospice patients are merely lying in bed, waiting for their end to come. For families who have experienced hospice, they see the focus is not on dying—it is about living as fully as possible.  Hospice not only provides the highest quality care, it affords more moments, memories and opportunities.  

For more information visit the new Moments of Life microsite at MomentsOfLife.org.