FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTH HALTON, ONTARIO, October 16, 2023 –Partnering with local government in Halton Hills and Milton, the Townsend Smith Foundation (TSF), a local charity working to build and operate a hospice residence to serve area residents celebrated World Hospice Day with flag raising ceremonies at the Halton Hills Town Hall and at the Milton Town Hall.
World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world every second Saturday in October. To mark WHPCD 2023, thousands of people around the world will be coming together on the 14th of October 2023 to celebrate, but most importantly to speak out about their lived experiences in grief, loss, and bereavement. The Townsend Smith Foundation will be working together with hospices, palliative care facilities, and people living with palliative care needs to amplify the WHPCD theme, “Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care.”
WHPCD 2023 will be a day to advocate for the support of people with serious health related suffering including those at the end-of-life, caregivers and their families. Compassionate communities care for people, assist people to live in the place they call home, connect people to services, raise awareness about end-of-life issues and develop the capacity of others in the community.
WHPCD 2023 will be a day where communities, institutions, and healthcare providers, unite and raise their voices to advocate for palliative care policies and programs that support the strategic development goal of good health and well-being. Palliative care development follows a public health model developed by the WHO that emphasizes policy, education, medication availability, community empowerment, research and
implementation. There are many barriers to achieving each of these components.
TSF’s state-of-the-art hospice residence will prioritize patient comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering but will also support the needs of family and friends in a supportive environment.
Those wishing to learn more about hospice care for North Halton, the work of the Townsend Smith Foundation, or to offer support through a generous gift or as a volunteer are encouraged to visit https://www.townsend-smith.ca/donate/.
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About Palliative Care
According to the Global Atlas of Palliative Care, over 56.8 million people are estimated to require palliative care every year including 31.1 million prior to and 25.7 million near the end of life. The majority (67%) are adults over 50 years old and at least 7% are children. The majority (54%) are non-decedents who need palliative care prior to their last year of life. The burden of severe illness and health related suffering, and the corresponding need for palliative care, are immense. Yet palliative care is still not accessible to most people in need, especially in low and middle-income countries.
About Townsend Smith Foundation
Working vigorously since 2012, the Townsend Smith Foundation, TSF, is a registered charitable organization with a unique mandate to provide the supports and education to those interested in hospice care, in the last stages of living, or bereaved. Our meaningful projects include free seminars to raise awareness for the need and benefit of hospice palliative care, support for caregivers, children and will planning, group discussions of death through death cafes, and honouring those who have passed through candlelight ceremony. TSF volunteers consistently engage our community on hospice care and its needs in North Halton with a key objective being to raise funds to build hospice facilities in North Halton.
For further information at Townsend Smith Foundation please contact
Ms. Astrid Lakats, Chair, Board of Directors
bod@townsend-smith.ca | 289.878.3407