RAHENY man Jerry Mooney was recently awarded an Irish Pride Hospice Hero Award at a ceremony in the Mansion House in Dublin to mark the launch of the national Sunflower Days collection for local hospice services.
Speaking at the Award Ceremony, Margaret Atkinson, St Francis Hospice, said that the generosity both in the spirit and heart of people like Jerry, who has been involved in hospice for 20 years has brought the service to the level that it is today.
Jerry accepted the Award on behalf of the volunteer team he leads who every year are to be found selling sunflowers all over the Northside in 18 different DART stations.
Hospice services have experienced cuts in their budgets and are more reliant than ever on public goodwill during national fundraising events such as Sunflower Days, in order to keep services going.
This year’s Sunflower Days event, which was held on June 8 and 9, was kindly supported by Irish Pride Bakery.
All hospice services are reliant on the generosity of their local communities to help maintain or expand their services.
Sunflower Days is a major source of income for hospices and voluntary hospice groups countrywide.
The IHF coordinates the event on behalf of the hospice movement but all of the funds raised locally stay locally.
Hospice or palliative care involves the total care of 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.
Almost 30,000 people die annually in Ireland and over 6,000 people use hospice services every year. It is estimated that up to 13,000 patients will require access to hospice and specialist palliative care in 2016.
International studies have shown that patients using hospice services consume at least 25% fewer medical resources than those who access
“usual care.
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This saving is linked to the fact that many palliative care patients are cared for and die at home and they use much less acute hospital services. Hospice patients also live longer and in greater comfort and dignity.