The foundation of hospice care is the value of compssion. The compassionate care that hospice workers (staff and volunteers) provide for patients and patients and families has the goal of relief of suffering.
The values of compassion, respect for others, enhancing dignity and sense of self-worth for patients can be expanded to reach out to our communities and be a catalyst to build compassionate communities. To this end, HPCA has been publishing stories of compassion on ehospice and on 25th March we launched the HPCA Compassion Wall.
The Compassion Wall at HPCA, and potentially at hospices, is a central place where communities can come together and share their stories and words of compassion with others and remember loved ones. The aim is to increase the passion for compassion and also to make the public and communities aware about palliative care. HPCA invite member hospices and other interested groups to create their own Compassion Wall and to build compassionate communities.
We also encourage readers to sign the Compassion Charter http://charterforcompassion.org/sign-share-charter that was developed by international spiritual leaders designated the Council of Conscience and including two South Africans, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rev Peter Storey. See the video of Karen Armstrong’s talk that inspired the development of the Compassion Charter.
http://www.ted.com/talks/karen_armstrong_makes_her_ted_prize_wish_the_charter_for_compassion
HPCA staff were dressed in orange for the launch of the Compassion Wall in support of the UN Secretary- General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, managed by UN women and proclaiming every 25th of the month as “Orange Day”, a day to take action to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and children. http://endviolence.un.org/ If all communities practice compassion, this assault to the rights of women and children will cease.
{gallery}Compassionwall2015{/gallery}
