"Thomas Diehl was a hero of mine; he was the best dad, father-in-law and grandfather. Every time cancer put him on his knees, he got up with strength and fought. His positivity and desire to live were incredible. In this majestic photo, he fulfilled his dream of visiting the beach, smelling and feeling the sea breeze. Thanks to the accessible beaches program in Costa Rica, we achieved his great dream!" Photo by Victoria Diehl. Used with permission.
I spoke about being a family caregiver for my dad in one of the few countries that support family caregivers and that has palliative care available through universal health coverage. When my father became terminally ill, I lived firsthand the experience of what palliative care is all about. This experience, plus my training in the health sciences, allowed me to be part of this honorable association.
I believe that the goal of palliative care is to bring light and hope
to every patient and family.
Curridabat has a palliative care unit that is developing interdisciplinary training for more professionals in this great specialty. One of our goals is to do holistic home visits to improve quality of life, with the participation of a doctor, nurse, psychologist, and physical therapist. See the listing for the Asociación Costarricense de Medicina Paliativa y Medicina del Dolor (ASOCMEPD), an IAHPC lifetime member, in the IAHPC Directory.
The IAHPC provides its members with opportunities to continue training and education in the field of palliative care, such as the current Advocacy Course, offered only in English, the language used in most articles, journals, and information. We can encourage the growth of palliative care by offering financial support for translation, so that more people around the world can access and understand the content, regardless of which language they speak. The Web currently offers tools to translate in real time.
These are my goals as an Advocacy Focal Point:
To share the IAHPC vision of a world free from pain and suffering for seriously ill people and to raise awareness about the need for palliative care within our countries and governments.
To provide more possibilities for every patient and every family to access comprehensive medical care, trained professionals, pain management medications, and funded programs that support those who need it most.
I invite you to join IAHPC and to take the Advocacy Course being created by Katherine Pettus, PhD. Together we can create a solid foundation and foster awareness of palliative care and the creation of strong public policies for patients and their families.
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How your gift supports the IAHPC mission
Achieved: $24,941
Goal: $30,000
83%
Education
Your gift funds the operational costs of our online courses taught by globally recognized experts who volunteer their time and provide educational resources relevant to palliative care topics. It also supports scholarships that enable palliative care workers to attend educational events and congresses, and allows us to maintain Pallipedia, the free, live, online dictionary.
The goal of this pillar is to implement strategies, resources and tools that will improve the competencies of the global workforce for appropriate palliative care delivery. We have two programs under this pillar plus many other resources for our members.
Your gift enables us to build and strengthen the partnerships that accelerate global, regional, and national advocacy for palliative care. We advocate for its integration into primary health care under universal health coverage and effective access to essential palliative care medicines and packages for people of all ages. Your gift supports our work to prepare delegates and participate in technical consultation meetings of the relevant UN organizations.
The goal this pillar is the integration of palliative care into primary health care within the spectrum of universal coverage to improve access to adequate care for patients in need. We offer the following to our members:
Documents on Human Rights and Access to Medicines and Care
Research
Your gift enables us to continue doing research that provides guidance and recommendations for action, based on responses from the global palliative care community. Such research includes our recent evaluation of the impact of euthanasia and assisted dying practices on palliative care workers and the use of essential medicines for palliative care. It also supports the costs of publications focused on research relevant to palliative care.
The goal of this pillar is to design and implement projects that lead to the integration of palliative care into health policies, resolutions, and key documents. Our studies help us provide guidance and recommendations, and take action based on the responses from the global palliative care community.
Your membership enables you to participate in IAHPC projects such as the:
Your gift enables us to continue our in-depth reporting and book reviews in Pallinews, as well as media campaigns that raise awareness about the need to increase access to care and support for patients and families.
We are a small organization that allocates over 80% of our budget to mission driven programs and to the maintenance of our free website. We need operational funding to continue the work.
Give a gift, get a gift
IAHPC members: When you gift a 2-year membership to a colleague in a low- or middle-income country, we extend your membership by 6 months.
"Thomas Diehl was a hero of mine; he was the best dad, father-in-law and grandfather. Every time cancer put him on his knees, he got up with strength and fought. His positivity and desire to live were incredible. In this majestic photo, he fulfilled his dream of visiting the beach, smelling and feeling the sea breeze. Thanks to the accessible beaches program in Costa Rica, we achieved his great dream!" Photo by Victoria Diehl. Used with permission.