Hats on for children’s hospice care!
To celebrate World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, ICPCN has
initiated a social media campaign to raise awareness of
children's hospice and palliative care throughout the month of
October called #hatsonforchildrenshospicecare.
Linking to the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 11,
the ICPCN wants to use the entire month of October to run
the#Hatsonforchildrenshospicecare Social Media campaign that not
only raises awareness of children’s palliative care but also recognises
the various and valuable members of a children’s palliative
care multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary team, all of whom work
together to provide holistic and coordinated care to the child and to
the family.
Who cares? We do!
The English idiom of “wearing many different
hats” is most appropriate to this year's theme Who cares? We
do! and most applicable when describing children’s palliative care
teams. When caring for a seriously ill child, what hat do you wear and
how many hats do you wear? Some team members will wear many
hats, for example, mothers with very sick children often become
expert nurses, counsellors, teachers and dieticians.
How can you support this campaign?
Author Jeff Dixon once said, "You can't do everything; but you can do
something." ICPCN has supplied a list of things that you can do in
October to show your support for this campaign and possibly win a
prize of one of three $25 Amazon vouchers. Here are some
suggestions:
1. Support the campaign on your social media
pages. Many people do not even know that hospice and palliative
care services for children exist. You can help us to change this by
raising awareness through all your social media contacts. Here is
what you need to do:
• Upload a picture or selfie of yourself wearing a hat to Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and any other social media platforms that
you are on.
• Use the hashtag #Hatsonforchildrenshospicecare either under
the picture or have it written on a piece of paper that you are
holding.
• Challenge at least 3 of your friends to do the same.
• Share your picture on the ICPCN Facebook page for a chance to
win one of three $25 Amazon vouchers. At the end of October,
three lucky people who have uploaded their pictures to this
page will win a voucher.
2. Give a donation.
• Find out where their nearest children’s hospice and palliative care
service is. The ICPCN website has a directory of
services where many children's palliative care services are
listed with their locations and contact details.
• Contact the organisation and ask what funding needs they have.
• Make a donation.
3. Raise funds by hosting or organising an event.
• Hold a “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” or a “High Tea” where guests are
required to wear hats and bring a donation. OR
• Ask a local school to host a ‘hat wearing’ day where each child
brings a small donation for the nearest children’s hospice
organisation. OR
• Hold a ‘hat wearing’ day at your place of work and ask everyone for
a donation towards children’s hospice and palliative care.
If there are no services close to you, you may consider a donation to
the ICPCN. The ICPCN carries out vital work developing, supporting,
educating and networking children’s hospice and palliative care
services around the world.
Read more about the campaign and how you can become
involved here.