
Caru Attend IHF's Forum on End of Life 2024
Dying and Grieving Well in Our Communities and the Launch of Time to Reflect.
Caru were delighted to attend IHF’s 8th biennial national conference on dying, death and bereavement on February 27 at Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
The theme of the day was, ‘Dying and Grieving Well in Our Communities.’, and we explored this theme through keynote presentations, expert Q&A panels, and breakout discussion groups.
Keynote speakers included Dr. Libby Sallnow, Palliative Medicine Consultant, and Julie Ling, CEO of the European Association of Palliative Care, who both brought unique and forward-thinking approaches to dying, death and bereavement.
Caru was not just present on the day, but presented on the day with Maureen Catterson, Clinical Nurse Manager at St. Eunan’s Nursing Home, Letterkenny (CHO1) speaking on, A Resident’s Day: Person-Centred Advance Care Planning in Nursing Homes, the new initiative they have undertaken in their nursing home.
Every 6-8 weeks each resident has a day when they are the VIP. This means the chef cooks their favourite foods, the activities co-ordinator ensures they get to do their favourite activity and most importantly, their care plans are updated. This also importantly includes their end of life care wishes.
Since completing the Caru programme staff are now more confident and competent to have these discussions with Residents and their families.
The initiative was very well received at the Forum with others making reference to the initiative as “one of the highlights of the day” and “an excellent resident-centred incentive to focus on EOLC”.

IHF also launched The Time to Reflect Survey on the day. This is the findings from a survey commissioned by Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) to explore the impact of COVID-19 and public health measures on the experiences and perceptions of the Irish population in relation to dying, death, and bereavement during this time.
Read more about Time to Reflect