b'THE IHF IS IRELANDS NATIONAL CHARITY DEDICATED TO ALLMATTERSRELATEDTODYING,DEATHANDBEREAVEMENT INIRELAND.FORALMOST30YEARS,THEYHAVEASSISTED HOSPITALS, FAMILY DOCTORS, FAMILIES AND LOCAL HOSPICESERVICES UNDER THE PREMISE THAT EVERYONECHILDRENAND ADULTS OF ALL DIAGNOSISHAVE THE RIGHT TO A GOODDEATH WHERE THEY SECURE DIGNITY AND COMFORT. TODAY,THE IRELAND FUNDS ARE ASSISTING THEM WITH THIS MISSION.HERE, SHARON FOLEY, CEO OF THE IRISH HOSPICE FOUNDA-TION ExPLAINS THEIR WORK AND HOW THE IRELAND FUNDSARE HELPING THEM TO ADVANCE. GovernedbyaBoardofDirectors,theIrishHospice Foundation receives no core funding from the State andSaying goodbye in an acute care hospitalDesign & Dignity depends on the generosity of supporters. In introducingour work to potential supporters in the United States, weHow can you say goodbye, ask for or give forgiveness, in the Irish Hospice Foundation are immensely fortunatewhen there are five other people in the ward, a pile ofto have benefited from the expertise and the continuingvisitors, the TV on and the staff working away all around? goodwill of The American Ireland Fund. Their expertiseThat was just one of the questions our Patron Gabriel Byrne helped us develop and host a launch event in NYC, securedasked himself as he visited a close friend who was dying in funding for our programmeand introduced us to a range ofa busy ward in a Dublin hospital. contacts and advice. Since then, the acclaimed New York-based actor hasbeen a passionate champion of the work we do in the IrishThe Irish Hospice Foundation believes everyone has theHospice Foundation (IHF) aimed at improving care for those right to a good deathwhere there is dignity and comfort.who die in hospital and making the experience more bear- With funds we have raised, over our 28 years of existenceable for their loved ones. Today, nearly 50% of deaths in Ire- we have:land(30%intheUnitedStates)happeninacutecarefunded a national programme in acute hospitals hospitals. While hospital staff do their best, the reality is that, aimed at improving end of life care. with limited resources, hospitals are less able to focus on thefunded Irelands only Consultant Paediatrician with needs of their most vulnerablethose at the end of life. a special interestinpalliative care and a team of Recognising how deeply people are affected by their Childrens Outreach Nurses who support families surroundings, we are working with hospitals to change not in caring for their seriously ill children at home just the culture of care but also the physical environmentfunded a Nurses for Night Care Service for people of hospitals for people facing death and for their families.with illnesses other than cancer which enables more Through our DESIGN&DIGNITYPROJECT, people to fulfil their wish to die at home with dignityprojects in 11 acute hospitals are being supported under thedeveloped bereavement resources and provide first phase of the programme. Our work under Design & education to help people cope with their griefDignity has been heavily influenced by research from thesupported independent voluntary hospice groups USA.Wearetransformingneglectedmortuariesinto around Ireland by coordinating national havens of peace and respect. In the first phase, funds raised fundraising eventsin the US will go towards funding the Design & Dignity influenced decision-makers to make services more programme. widely available to all who need them Sharon Foley, CEO, Irish Hospice FoundationTHE AIM OF DESIGN & DIGNITY IS TO FUND ExEMPLARPROJECTSINPUBLICHOSPITALS,TRANSFORMTHEWAY HOSPITAL SPACES ARE DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE ATTHE END OF LIFE AND THEIR FAMILIES, AND SET THESTANDARD FOR OTHER HOSPITALS TO FOLLOW.Theserelativelysmallinvestmentsaremakingareal difference to people at what is often a traumatic time intheir lives. Simple, transformational and a model for all is how our Patron Gabriel Byrne describes our project. connect2014 | 29'