Address by President McAleese at the Launch of the 10th Anniversary Celebrations
Address by President McAleese at the Launch of the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of St. Francis Hospice, Raheny
I am deeply honoured to have been asked to launch the 10th anniversary celebrations of St. Francis Hospice. I would like to thank the Chairperson of the Board, Ms Justice Mella Carroll for her warm welcome, and Sister Annette McKenna, the Director of Nursing at the Hospice, for her kind and very welcome invitation.
I was particularly struck by the Hospice’s Mission Statement, which reads:
“Convinced of the value of human life at all stages, we provide a comprehensive palliative care service for patients and families in North Dublin. This service is based on a Christian Philosophy which recognises the need to treat each person with respect, dignity and compassion”.
St Francis Hospice has truly realised that mission. All of you have travelled a long road since the Hospice was established in 1988 by the Irish Hospice Foundation and the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. From the temporary headquarters generously donated by the Capuchin Friars in Raheny, you established a Homecare Service, provided by a team of dedicated medical and nursing staff. During their first year of operation, the Homecare Team provided care for 250 patients and their families on a round the clock basis.
Since then, the Hospice has gone from strength to strength. Numerous individuals, groups and organisations have provided the commitment and support which has enabled the service to develop from those modest roots to a comprehensive specialist palliative service. Today, St. Francis Hospice includes a Home Care Service, Day Care Centre, an In-Patient Unit, Bereavement Support and a variety of educational programmes to other hospitals. In all, almost 600 patients and their families now receive support and care through the Hospice.
These statistics are extremely impressive. Yet more important than any statistics is the way in which you have provided that service, by realising the integrity of your vision of treating people with respect, dignity and compassion. That requires extraordinary courage and love from staff, volunteers and families. It is an ethic and an ethos which we can all learn from. For despite the inevitability of death for us all, it is a subject that creates enormous fear in our society. It is easier to turn away and close our minds to the reality facing so many patients and their carers, which can so easily lead to isolation and loneliness for those who need support more than anyone.
The truth is that human dignity need not and should not diminish with the approach of death. We all need to have some sense of control over our life and how we live it, especially in the final stages. St. Francis Hospice has enabled this to happen for so many people. It is truly a holistic service, which recognises that illness is not simply a physical phenomenon, but one which has a psychological, social and spiritual impact both on patients and their families.
We all know that most seriously ill people prefer to stay in their own home, where they can be most comfortable in familiar surroundings. Equally, many families would prefer to care for their relative at home, but in order to do so, they need practical and emotional support. This is where the assistance of St. Francis Hospice is priceless. The Home Care service provides the advice and support to people in their own homes, which is a lifeline to patients and carers. This support is complemented by the Day Care Centre and In-Patient Unit. These not only provide the medical care required to treat symptoms but, equally important, these facilities enable patients to meet and socialise with each other, to extend their horizons and widen their social circle. It gives them fresh new stories to tell, the excitement of getting something new out of each day. They also enable carers to have a much-needed break, even for a few hours or a few days; to recharge their batteries and regain the energy needed to carry on. We need our carers to be healthy and strong, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Their care is part of the holistic approach to care of the dying, for all are drawn into this circle of being with death. We don’t want it to be a circle of dread, a place which overwhelms them, but a circle in which they feel supported, encouraged and confident.
A final, vital part of St. Francis Hospice’s mission, is to integrate its palliative care philosophy and approach into all care settings, including general hospitals and the care of the elderly. This is the purpose behind the educational programmes it provides to the staff of other health care institutions. These programmes, together with public lectures such as the one that Dr McQuillan will shortly deliver, are essential in increasing understanding of the principles behind palliative care, both within the health care profession and society as a whole.
St. Francis Hospice has achieved an enormous amount in the past ten years. This success is truly the product of a real partnership between staff, volunteers, patients, carers and the people of North Dublin. I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to everyone who has enabled St. Francis to provide a service which represents the true spirit of the hospice philosophy, that is, a community reaching out to comfort and care for those of its members who are terminally ill. I wish you every success in the years to come.