With 13 days to live, what would you do?
That's the question Help the Hospices and volunteering organisation TimeBank asked the public when they launched the 13 days campaign, aimed at inspiring people to volunteer their time to their local hospiceThe campaign is called '13 Days' because this is the average length of time a person spends in an adult hospice. Together, TimeBank and Help the Hospices aim to raise awareness of the diverse and rewarding opportunities available to those who volunteer in hospices.
They also want to encourage a younger audience to give time, primarily but not exclusively those between 20 and 35. Most hospices are run and funded as charities and without the time of their existing volunteers, hospice work could not continue.
Work, or dream holiday?
The findings concluded that over three quarters of employees would rather go to work than take a dream holiday if they only had days to live. Less than a quarter (24 per cent) said they would quit work, despite over half (51 per cent) saying that they would stop worrying about work.
Nearly half (42 per cent) would travel or go on a dream holiday in their remaining days.
Over half of all women claimed that they would still worry about their weight and appearance, and 14 per cent of women would prefer to swim with dolphins than bury the hatchet with an old foe.
A third of people would rather make a difference at the end of their life than indulge in a sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle, with men being twice as likely to indulge in a hedonistic existence than women.
Help the Hospices supports over 200 local adult and children's hospices in their vital work on the front line of caring for people at the end of life.
What do hospices do?
Hospices care for adults and children who are seriously ill, and who face death due to an incurable illness. Care goes beyond simply providing medical treatment for patients and aims to meet the needs - physical, emotional, social and spiritual - of people facing terminal illness. This means that there may be a broader range of volunteering opportunities available than you might assume, with volunteers arranging visits from pets to their owners, providing beauty treatments, or even helping someone to fulfil a life-long ambition.
'Volunteers are at the heart of the hospice movement. The commitment of hospice volunteers in the UK ensures that hospices can continue to provide care and support for patients and their families, friends, and colleagues' says Christine Shaw, Acting Chief Executive of Help the Hospices. 'Every potential volunteer has something to offer, and each volunteer can make a huge and positive difference.'
Every year UK hospices care for approximately 200,000 people, but this care also extends to and affects their relatives, colleagues and friends. This means that without the time and dedication of volunteers, the hospice movement would not be able to function.
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Created: 26/05/2004 Updated: 15/06/2004
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