Mayo firms urged to back 'Your Finest Hour for Hospice' drive

EMPLOYERS in Mayo are being urged to join a unique national fundraising drive for hospices.

Together for Hospice, the national fundraising body for the 24 specialist hospices and palliative care providers in Ireland, is behind the ‘Your Finest Hour for Hospice’ workplace charity initiative.

Funds raised by companies and staff in Mayo will be directed to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

The campaign asks firms in every sector to give workers an hour of downtime in April - and in return, staff are asked to donate an hour of their salary, with every cent raised locally staying locally.

With an average of 100 deaths in Ireland every day, a bereavement expert says creating grief-informed workplaces is vital to help people navigate loss and be supported by colleagues.

Niamh Finucane, co-ordinator of social work and bereavement services at St. Francis Hospice in Dublin’s Raheny and Blanchardstown, says there is a major role for employers in Ireland to examine their response to a colleague’s loss.

“The first few days back at work and meeting people again can be very activating of grief,” she said.

“Things such as songs coming on the radio or events like Mother’s Day can cause this, and when it happens, something touches on their grief and shakes it up.

“You may see a colleague being more emotional or finding it difficult to concentrate and even finding it difficult to have conversations.

“In some cases, those who are bereaved prefer to keep things as normal as possible but it is always important to acknowledge the loss.

“It’s also important to remember that when people are grieving, they are not functioning as well as usual; their memory or concentration can be impacted - they may make mistakes.

“What each person needs is very different. Sometimes a person may not even know themselves what they need. Employers can look at how they can do things in terms of managing the person’s workload.”

While more workplaces are looking at their company’s response to grief, it’s an area, she said, where a little can go a long way.

“Sometimes people can guide the bereaved person to services like their local bereavement network or the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network.

“It’s the simple things; let them know you are thinking of them, even if you don’t know what to say. That can mean the world.”

*Your Finest Hour for Hospice runs throughout April.

Employers in Mayo are asked to reward staff by treating them to an office takeaway, giving them a wellbeing hour - or simply an hour off work.

Employees are then asked to donate one hour of their salary to hospice.

Companies and employees, either in partnership or separately, are asked to register to support the initiative at www.finesthour.ie.

With the population over 65 set to triple over the next 30 years, demand for hospice services continues to grow and in 2023 alone, hospice and specialist palliative homecare providers cared for over 14,000 patients and made over 87,000 homecare visits.