Hospice Awareness Week (HAWK) is an opportunity to profile and celebrate the services that hospices provide in their local communities, and address misconceptions that people may have about hospice care. In 2023, Hospice Awareness Week runs from Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May.

We would love your support! Please think about donating to our appeal, donating to our charity shops, sharing your hospice story, or volunteering at our community appeal. Any support you can show Waipuna Hospice during HAWK is appreciated.

Ways to Help

It's OK to Open Up

The final chapter of you or someone you love is an emotional experience, often not widely spoken about due to the uncomfortable nature of talking about death. The theme for Hospice Awareness Week this year is “It’s Ok” – encouraging those going through this that it’s ok to feel, to open up, to talk, and to enjoy life. This campaign, from Hospice NZ, features hospice patients and whānau sharing their emotional experiences in the hope that others will be ok about opening up and reaching out to Hospice for help when they need it.

Everyone’s story is unique, but feelings are universal and whatever you feel, is ok. If we can open up; if we can talk about dying and be ok with all the feelings we have; we can make the most of life right until the end. Hospice helps people get through.

Watch the videos below so you can understand a little more about the breadth and value of hospice care.

Please show your support so we can continue our life-changing services.

Meet Latoya.

Latoya shares how talking about dying has helped her and her family.

“The topic is so depressing and so sad and so taboo but yet it’s one of the most natural things that happens in life…you live and you die… why I’m so comfortable now is because it is something we can talk about,”

Meet Eileen.

Eileen shares her experience of hospice care.

“Hospice helped me with everything. That’s why I can walk around smiling, because I’ve got nothing to worry about now”

Meet Vicki.

Vicky shares her experience of loosing her son and the care Hospice provided them.

“I felt love bigger, I felt grief bigger, I felt pain bigger. Everything was exaggerated, so when you feel the love and support it has an even bigger meaning than it would if you weren’t going through something like that”

Meet Haley.

Haley shares her story of loosing a close friend and supporting another friend who is dying.

“Just normalise it. Make it OK. It does make it easier. It is so important to talk about it because when you ignore it, it makes it incredibly difficult”.

Share our stories and the value of hospice care

We need you this week, to help share our stories. Simply find us on Facebook and Instagram and share our posts – it’s really that simple. Join the conversation by posting and using the hashtags #hospicestoriesofcare and #hospiceawareness2023

Everybody needs understanding and care. It’s these things that allow us to thrive when we are well, and get through when we are struggling. And we need these most when we are dying. At the end of our lives, when time is precious, hospice exists to ensure we do. Understanding the care, the value, and the comfort that Hospice provides – is why Hospice Awareness Week is so important.

KEY MESSAGES

  • Hospice is not just a building; it is a philosophy of care. The majority of people receiving support are cared for in their homes.
  • Our goal is to help people make the most of their lives; to live every moment in whatever way is important to them.
  • Hospices can provide care and support for anyone living with a life-limiting condition – e.g. heart failure, motor neurone disease, MS or cancer.
  • We care for the whole person, not just their physical needs but also their emotional, spiritual, and social needs too.
  • We care for families and friends as well, both before and after death.
  • Hospices are independent charitable organisations providing care and support completely free of charge to people using our services.
  • Whilst free of charge to people using hospice services it costs a lot to provide, in the 2022 – 23 financial year we are predicting a need of $13.3 million to fully fund our service. While we have budgeted for 43% of that to come from government funding, the remaining income will need to come from our charity shops, events, donations, and grants.
  • That means that this coming year we have to raise over $7.5 million to meet our expected shortfall.