D’Arcy welcomes campaign to highlight benefits of palliative care

Fine Gael Senator for Louth, Jim D’Arcy has welcomed the launch of ‘Making the most of Life’, a nationwide campaign to highlight how palliative care can improve the quality of life of any person with an incurable illness.

“The most important aspect of the ‘ Making the most of Life’ campaign is the fact that palliative care is now available to persons who have a diagnosis of cancer and to all people with an incurable disease.

“This campaign will help to inform people that a person does not have to be at death’s door to get the benefit of palliative care; this can be ongoing over many years. This service is invaluable for family and carers.

“The campaign aims to change the common public perception that palliative care is about pain relief for older people during the final days of life, to an understanding that palliative care, as part of a medical care plan, helps to achieve the best possible quality of life for a person with an incurable condition.

“A palliative care approach looks at much more than medical need. It seeks to care for all aspects of the person – mind, body and spiritual.

“The campaign ‘ Making the most of Life’ will take place during the first-ever Palliative Care Week from October 6^th to 11^th. It is an all-island campaign and is being coordinated by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care.”