The need:
Over the past year, dying has become a front-of-mind issue for us all. The heart-breaking stories everywhere in the news have reminded us there’s only one chance to get death right. And how when it’s not right, the repercussions can last a lifetime. It’s also given us a glimpse of what’s to come, with the number of people in the UK aged 85 or older set to double in the next 20 years to 3.2 million. We need to make sure we have the right care and support in place to be able to protect and cherish each other as we reach the final months, weeks, days and hours of our lives.
The Marie Curie solution:
The UK’s leading end of life charity, Marie Curie is here to support everyone in the UK through all aspects of dying, death and bereavement – and to fight for a society where everyone gets to have the best experience possible at the end of their lives. Marie Curie Nurses, Hospices and Support Line have been here day and night, seven days a week, throughout the pandemic, providing frontline care and supporting the NHS.
Our decades of experience mean we know what it is to die well. For your last, precious weeks and days to be how you expect them to be. Gentle, personal, full of love. Our people have a passion for making sure everyone gets the best possible support through life with a terminal illness, dying and bereavement. We can also help the UK to talk, plan and prepare, to get things sorted in advance, and help people to have the best possible chance of an end of life that’s right for them.
Our impact:
Last year we helped more than 60,000 people directly and reached over two million more. Marie Curie Nurses care for people in their homes, giving much-needed respite to overstretched carers. Our nine hospices offer the reassurance of specialist care and support in a friendly, welcoming environment – so people can feel safe and cared-for in their final months, weeks and days of life. Our trusted information and support line help people in their hour of need to feel reassured, informed and empowered to face what’s happening in their lives – whether that’s terminal illness, caring or bereavement. Our campaigns influence decision-makers so people whose lives are touched by terminal illness, death and bereavement have a voice advocating for the change they need to see. Our leading research ensures that, as we face what’s coming in the years ahead, we understand more about what good end of life looks like, and how we can support each other in the best ways possible – both medically and in the round. Our public awareness campaigns help change public attitudes to dying, death and bereavement so, as a nation, we can find ways to open the conversation and be better prepared.
“Marie Curie carries out and funds research into better ways of caring for people living with a terminal illness (palliative care research). The charity does not carry out or fund research involving animals.”
