The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) is proud to celebrate National Hospice Palliative Care Week (NHPCW) from May 1-7, 2022 with its Living in Colour campaign!
At the heart of hospice palliative care lies the belief that every person deserves a vibrant and beautiful life, from beginning to end. If someone is facing a life-limiting illness, it can feel like their world faded to shades of grey – hospice palliative care brings colour, peace, and joy back to their life in the ways that matter most to them and to their family.
How does hospice palliative care empower Canadians to Live in Colour? By fostering an environment of care, compassion, and comfort where each person and their family receives the support they want and need, so they can focus on embracing every moment life has to offer.
A life is a work of art – created and coloured by our experiences, relationships, adventures, and importantly, through love. Those who have the privilege of working or volunteering in hospice palliative care dedicate themselves to providing each person the care they need across all aspects of their lives affected by illness, so they can enjoy Living in Colour, with vibrancy and meaning until their last breath.
This week, we celebrate the amazing care that hospice palliative care teams across Canada provide to our neighbours and families, empowering them to embrace life’s kaleidoscope of colours until the very end. The invaluable work of health care workers, volunteers, and carers of every stripe is crucial to the well-being and to the quality of life of those receiving hospice palliative care. On behalf of all Canadians, we say: Thank you for your compassion and for your dedication to each person you care for – the impact of your work is felt by individuals, families, loved ones, and across communities.
Go to www.chpca.ca/week for more details!
How can you participate?
As an individual:
- Share how hospice palliative care brought colour to your or a loved one’s life with the hashtag #LivingInColour and #NHPCW on social media. Your stories are powerful tools to educate and spread awareness of the value of hospice palliative care in your community.
- Break out the crayons and markers to add your colours to the Living in Colour colouring pages & share your masterpiece with friends, family or on social media!
- Support a Hike for Hospice event in your area or donate to CHPCA to strengthen access to hospice palliative care.
- Join CHPCA and the Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition of Canada (QELCCC) in advocating for more support for the Action Plan and the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada, and increased funding for hospice palliative care research, including grief and bereavement by contacting your elected representative.
As an organisation:
CHPCA created a campaign kit to make it easy for your organisation to engage in the campaign. The kit includes:
- Campaign poster (including a customizable version to add your own branding)
- Printable colouring pages for a creative activity for staff, clients or volunteers that celebrates how hospice palliative care helps them Live in Colour
- Social Media Post templates and images
- Press release template
Let's change the conversation
This year, CHPCA seeks to engage Canadians of all stripes to change the conversation around hospice palliative care. Contrary to popular belief, while death and dying are an intimate part of what we do, they are not what hospice palliative care is about. That’s why we are sharing its life-affirming message by celebrating the beauty and the joy that hospice palliative care can provide. The stigma around hospice palliative care is too often a barrier to people who could benefit from it – so let’s change the conversation together!