National Palliative Care Week: Holding space for life, comfort and connection

There’s a quiet misconception about palliative care: It’s only about dying.

But in reality, palliative care is also very much about living. Quality palliative care provides comfort and dignity and helps people continue to be themselves for as long as possible.

During National Palliative Care Week (10-16 May), we’re reminded of the important role palliative care plays in supporting people with life-limiting illness and those who love them.

At The Forrest Centre Hospice, this care sits at the heart of what we do every day.

Our team walks alongside residents and families through some of life’s hardest moments, providing care that focuses not just on medical needs, but on quality of life, comfort, connection and respect for individual wishes.

For one person, it might mean managing pain so they can spend meaningful time with family. For another, it might mean preserving independence for as long as possible. Sometimes it’s about creating space for difficult conversations. Sometimes it’s simply about making sure someone doesn’t feel alone.

These moments are often quiet, gentle and human. It’s care that understands there is still life to be lived and meaning to be found within it. This is the work we do every day at our Hospice.

This year, the theme of National Palliative Care Week is Getting to the heart of it. Big Questions. Real Answers. The campaign aims to make palliative care easier to understand by encouraging honest questions and offering clear, human answers. You can read more here.