Hospices: Compassion, Care, and the Art of Dying Well

In this week’s Impact! we give attention to an invaluable service that’s close to both our hearts, and with which we have very recent and ongoing support from–the worldwide hospice movement. We explore their surprisingly recent history, purpose, and the global reach of palliative care, explaining how hospices began, the services they provide and how they are funded. As always, we see where our prayers and intentions may be most needed as we honour those who give their time to hospice support, and consider some of the challenges they face, including how they operate and are funded in different countries. Intentions and prayers start at 34 minutes 21 seconds. Suggested Intention Focus for this week This week, as we reflect on the invaluable service and special challenges faced by many hospices worldwide, we suggest holding as our main intention: We give thanks for the vision and commitment of the founders, continuing flag bearers and all workers and supporters of the worldwide hospice movement. We ask that they continue to be inspired, guided, and sustained in providing their vital service. Please join us in holding this. Chapter markers: 00:00:00            Introduction 00:02:40            Origins of Hospice 00:08:18            Defining Palliative Care 00:10:22            Global Hospice Access 00:10:42            Hospice Services Explained 00:15:02            Children’s Hospice Care 00:18:02            Faith and Hospice Roots 00:23:20            Hospice Systems and Funding 00:31:09            Hospice Challenges Today 00:34:21            Intentions and Prayers Sources referenced in this episode: https://www.hospice-ign.org.uk/hospice-income-generation-network/history-of-the-hospice-movement    https://ehospice.com/africa_posts/a-short-history-of-hospice/           https://www.iccp-portal.org/sites/default/files/resources/Global_Atlas_of_Palliative_Care.pdf                        https://assets-global.website-files.com/5e9b72d0a2cd3d9d38ff9c0d/60a417846eecab77c587a90d_A Brief History of Hospice Care - Hospice 101.pdf  https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2018/06/22/the-history-of-hospice-a-different-kind-of-health-care/    https://doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?ID=0354-73100201029M   https://www.paho.org/en/node/75063  https://bmcpalliatcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12904-023-01235-z           https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2214109X18301505      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospice  https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2025-0009/       https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2023-0045/       https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/hospice-care  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/75-million-boost-for-hospices-to-transform-end-of-life-care https://tillerycompassionatecare.org/news/how-to-pay-for-hospice-care/  https://www.worldrtd.org/hospicehistory.html https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6179468/ http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/lead1900_98.pdf https://ourworldindata.org/pandemics Join us in person for intention holding:    https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.