On 1 November, Public Health Palliative Care International is hosting the inaugural World Compassionate Communities Day, to celebrate the Compassionate Communities movement with its own day of recognition!
A driving force behind PHPCI and the day is Dr John Rosenberg RN PhD, President of PHPCI. We caught up with John to find out a little bit more about the day.
What are compassionate communities?
Compassionate Communities are a core part of public health approaches to palliative care, end-of-life care, and bereavement. This approach was conceived by Prof. Allan Kellehear in the mid-2000s to highlight the power of communities in the care of people at end of life, their families and carers through the experiences of illness, dying, death, caregiving and grief. Compassionate Communities know that everyone can be touched by these issues at any time and are capable and ready to help.
Why is World Compassionate Communities Day important?
Over the past decade or so, in many places around the world, people have come together to build Compassionate Communities to support those experiencing dying, death, caregiving and grief. This global movement has grown from strength to strength. The time is right to celebrate the movement with its own day of recognition!
World Compassionate Communities Day aims to build on the momentum of the growing number of Compassionate Communities projects and programs, highlight the work of compassionate citizens and organizations around the globe, and continue to mobilise and connect people through local compassionate actions related to dying, death, caregiving and grief.
How can people become involved?
We would love members of the global community of care to share with a worldwide audience what your community has been doing, to encourage others to join your local actions, to support your advocacy at government levels, and to inspire communities around the world with the joy, simplicity and power of community action at the end of life.
What other activities are taking place?
On 1 November, we are hosting a unique global event, ‘Chase the morning around the world.’
This online event will ‘chase the morning’ across the world’s time zones, starting in Australasia, and moving west across Asia, Africa and Europe, until its conclusion in the Americas. It is a rolling forum for Compassionate Communities to showcase who they are, what they do, who they help, and how they can be created through sharing information, highlighting current initiatives, and demonstrating supportive tools. This can inspire and motivate others to get their own initiatives going.
On 2nd of November, we are holding the World Compassionate Communities Day Symposium where leaders in Public Health Palliative Care, Compassionate Communities, and related areas will explore contemporary and future issues.
Where can people learn more?
People can learn more by visiting: https://www.phpci.org/worldccday and sign up for our newsletter of follow us on Facebook & Twitter.
