Saturday, October 10, 2026
Friday, October 9, 2026
WORLD HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE DAY The second Saturday in October
WORLD HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE DAY
The second Saturday in
October
On the second Saturday
in October, World Hospice and Palliative Care Day promotes the goal of
improving the quality of life for people affected by serious medical
conditions. It is also a day to show support for hospice and palliative care
around the world.Both hospice and palliative care have to do with a person’s
end-of-life care. Pain and symptom relief are both involved in these types of
care. However, there are some major differences between the two.
Hospice care is
provided when a person has six months or less to live and is also called
compassionate comfort care. The goal is to keep the patient as comfortable as
possible as their life comes to an end. Patients can receive hospice care in
the home, assisted living facility, or the hospital.
Palliative care is
provided at any time during the patient’s diagnosis. In some instances,
patients receive palliative care during curative treatment. In most cases, a
hospital setting is the only place patients can receive palliative care.Some of
the most common conditions that require either hospice or palliative care
include:
Unfortunately, in some
parts of the world, hospice and palliative care services are not easily
accessible. About 60 percent of the world’s dying population could benefit from
these services. Without these services, terminal patients go through
unnecessary or undertreated pain. For these reasons, healthcare providers
across the globe understand the importance of hospice and palliative care.Many
hospice and palliative care organizations hold a variety of events on this day.
These events focus on the importance of hospice and palliative care. Events
include webinars, live discussions, film festivals, concerts, walks, community
breakfasts, and conferences.
The Worldwide Hospice
Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) launched World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
in 2005. The WHPCA desired to have a unified day of action to support hospice
and palliative care around the world. The first event was held on October 8,
2005. It has been held on the second Saturday in October ever since.
On the second Saturday
in October, World Hospice and Palliative Care Day promotes the goal of
improving the quality of life for people affected by serious medical conditions.
It is also a day to show support for hospice and palliative care around the
world.Hospice care is provided when a person has six months or less to live and
is also called compassionate comfort care. The goal is to keep the patient as
comfortable as possible as their life comes to an end. Patients can receive
hospice care in the home, assisted living facility, or the hospital.Palliative
care is provided at any time during the patient’s diagnosis. In some instances,
patients receive palliative care during curative treatment. In most cases, a
hospital setting is the only place patients can receive palliative care.Unfortunately,
in some parts of the world, hospice and palliative care services are not easily
accessible. About 60 percent of the world’s dying population could benefit from
these services. Without these services, terminal patients go through unnecessary
or undertreated pain. For these reasons, healthcare providers across the globe
understand the importance of hospice and palliative care.
Prof. John Kurakar
WORLDMENTAL HEALTH DAY- OCTOBER 10
WORLDMENTAL HEALTH DAY-
OCTOBER 10
Each year on 10
October, thousands of individuals and groups will gather to celebrate and
promote the only global day for mental health awareness. This annual program
was created as a way to bring more attention to mental illness and its effects
on individual life, work, family and overall stability of communities and
countries. This year our global theme is ‘Mental Health and Long Term Illness:
The Need for Continued and Integrated Care’. We will produce and distribute
over 5000 awareness CDs around the World to advocate for better services and
understanding for those who suffer not only with long term physical illnesses,
but who also experience mental health issues as a result of diminished health.
We all agree that one
of the most important aspects of a ‘good life’ is our overall health. A
meaningful definition of health as a ‘healthy state of well‐being’ should
address the whole person, ‘the general condition of the body and mind’. Studies
show that physical and mental well‐being have a major impact on one another –
cancer, diabetes, chronic pain, cardiovascular or respiratory disease should
not be viewed in isolation from the possible mental and emotional issues of an
individual.
The most prominent long
term illnesses are currently the leading cause of death and disability the
world over; Dr Gauden Galea, UN/WHO Coordinator of Health Promotion, has noted
that four chronic diseases – cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer and respiratory
illness – are responsible for 60% of the world's deaths, ‘and 80% of these
deaths are happening in the poorest populations of the world’. The management of
many of these long term illnesses has attracted attention because of its impact
on mortality, health resources, quality of life, and the economic burden to
government, healthcare and families.
This year's theme for
World Mental Health Day is a critical move forward in drawing attention to the
effect of long term illness on patients with major chronic disease and their
families, as well as its importance to mental health advocates. Addressing
mental health issues will lead to better outcomes, better compliance, and
improved quality of life for people who suffer from chronic illnesses. Campaign
materials will focus on proven strategies for promoting emotional and mental
well‐being while living with long term physical illness, and the role of
primary care in improving access for those who suffer from mental health and
long term health conditions. A special call to action section has been written
by seven international health professionals, intended to show us the way
forward.
World Mental Health Day
is an opportunity to meaningfully engage with people with lived experience
(PWLE) of mental health conditions and to recognize their knowledge as a vital
form of expertise. This year’s campaign calls for their voices to shape the
policies, services and decisions that affect their lives.
Lived experience is
what someone has experienced themselves, especially when it gives the
individual knowledge or understanding that people who have only heard or learnt
about such experiences do not have.The theme of World Mental Health Day 2026
has been decided as "Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real
Change".The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) hopes that
organizations around the world will organize events reflecting this theme while
also supporting the World Health Organization's initiative on deinstitutionalization.This
year, the theme reminds us of the importance of ‘mental health at work.’ Safe,
healthy working environments can act as a protective factor for mental health.
Unhealthy conditions - including stigma, discrimination, and exposure to risks
like harassment - can affect mental health.
As well as the impacts
on individuals and their families, poor mental health can lead to decreased
performance, absenteeism, and increased staff turnover. Depression and anxiety
alone result in the loss of approximately 12 billion work days each year,
costing the global economy around US$1 trillion annually.While we spend
approximately a third of our lives at work, it is easy to overlook the
importance of mental health in the workplace. For many of us, work is a
significant source of stress, anxiety, and pressure. And yet, because it is a
place where we spend most of our time, positive change created at work can make
a significant change in our lives.
Prof. John Kurakar
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