This article is from page 20 of the 2014-12-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
ONLY ONE quarter of Clare people have the opportunity to pass away in their own home – despite research showing that the vast majority of people in the county would prefer to die at home, as apposed to a hospital or nursing home.
According to a new survey compile by the Irish Hospice Foundation, only 26 per cent of Clare people have the opportunity of passing away in their own home – a fraction of the 74 per cent who would prefer to pass away at home. The report also found that that areas with no local hospice that delivers Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) Services through home care teams, have a higher proportion of deaths in their own homes compared to areas with a hospice.
The Irish Hospice Foundation be- lieve that more detailed research is needed to determine why more Clare people are not offered the chance to be at home when they pass away.
“It may be that those areas without hospices have better developed homecare teams.
“Other reasons may be at play, such as urban rural differences in allocation of community supports. But we need to f nd out,” Irish Hospice Foundation CEO, Sharon Foley.
“The IHF believes that enabling people to fulf ll their wish to die at home is not just a matter of effective health services and f exible, respon sive, people-centred systems.
“It is fundamental to the very basis of humanity in an evolved society.
“Allowing choice and dignity in end of life care, and in the experi ence of dying, is a strong indication of how we care for Irish society as a whole. ” A BUMPER Christmas, with an anticipated 15% increase in passenger numbers from 12 months ago, kicked off at Shannon Airport this weekend as close on 2,000 children, including from Clare and parents got to meet Santa in the skies. In an initiative to thank the public for its support over what has been a year of strong growth, as well as raise some much needed funds for two local charities, Shannon Airport, in partnership with Ryanair, made Christmas come early for the excited children as 12 f ights took the skies over Saturday and Sunday. Among those getting to savour this special moment were special needs children from the Clare Crusaders clinic, St Gabriel’s school in Limerick and Mirmear Autism Unit in Tipperary. Demand for the f ights’ was so high that they booked out in all of 12 minutes when they went up for grabs ten days ago. The fun weekend at the airport, which also saw the children get to enjoy a wide range of entertainment from costumed cartoon characters to puppet shows, heightened the Christmas cheer at the airport. Said Airport CEO Neil Pakey; “It was great to see children enjoying the treat. The excitement was unbelievable and we’re delighted to have partnered with Ryanair on what was a really special occasion. Special thanks too to all our staff who volunteered over the weekend.