World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: Hidden Lives / Hidden Patients
The Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) and the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) have announced the theme for World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: ‘Hidden Lives / Hidden Patients.’
This year, World Hospice and Palliative Care Day will take place on 10 October. The theme will focus on the patients living in unique conditions who often struggle with access to palliative care including children, LGBT individuals, people living with HIV, prisoners, soldiers and those living in rural settings.
In palliative care, no one should be invisible.There are ‘hidden patients’ with ‘hidden lives’ for whom the need for palliative care is not recognised. Children are often neglected and ‘hidden’, with 21 million children worldwide needing a palliative care approach.