Compassionate Communities Position Paper

As part of the ongoing all-Ireland Compassionate Communities research project, the position paper ‘Fostering Compassionate Communities: A Call to Transform Caregiving, Dying, Death and Grieving on the Island of Ireland’ has been developed.

The compassionate communities approach is one in which ‘caregiving, dying, death and grief are shared responsibilities of the whole community,’ complementing formal services dedicated to end-of-life care by fostering local networks of care and compassion.

The position paper argues that a compassionate communities approach is needed to transform how we experience life and death on the island of Ireland.

It identifies the role of the arts in facilitating discussions around emotive topics and helping to develop a compassionate culture. Examples provided include the work of Irish Hospice Foundation’s Arts and Cultural Engagement Programme, which encompasses Compassionate Culture Network projects, arts projects in residential care, and Creative Ireland supported projects developed by Local Authorities in Cavan, Fermanagh, Mayo, Roscommon and Northside Cork.

The Compassionate Communities research project aims to address the changing healthcare and wellbeing needs across the island of Ireland. The work is funded through the Shared Island Civic Society Fund from the Department of Foreign Affairs Ireland and Northern Ireland Public Health Agency, in partnership with the All Ireland Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care, Foyle Hospice, and Irish Hospice Foundation.

Read the Position Paper