Palliative Care in the Face of Fading Cognition

About St. Francis Hospice

In 1988 a need was identified for a hospice on the north side of Dublin. The Irish Hospice Foundation asked the Daughters of Charity for help in setting up a home care service for this area. Over the years, numerous inpiduals, groups and organisations have provided the dedication and financial support to enable St. Francis Hospice to develop from its humble roots to a comprehensive specialist palliative care service for north Dublin city and county.

The service is based on a Christian philosophy, which recognises the need to treat each person with dignity, respect and compassion, irrespective of their cultural or religious background. Their current range of services within the community includes Specialist Palliative Care, Hospice Day Care, Out-Patient services, Their 19 bed In-Patient Unit and Bereavement Support services. All of Their services are provided free of charge to patients and families.

The Home Care service (now called the Community Palliative Care Team) was established in 1989, originally based in a portacabin in the grounds of the Capuchin Friary. It provides a specialist advisory and support service to patients and their families in their own homes.

The Capuchin Friars donated the site of their monastery garden and St. Francis Hospice Raheny was built in two phases. In 1993, office and meeting space for the Community Palliative Care Team and a purpose-built Hospice Day Care Centre opened. The Hospice Day Care service began that year, providing patients with a place to come for support and advice from the multidisciplinary team and to receive complementary therapies.