Welcome to the latest edition of the
Madrugada newsletter. Quite a lot has been happening since our last edition.
First, allow me to introduce myself
briefly. I was elected as President of your General Assembly on new slates of
officers for the Management, General Assembly and Fiscal council Boards at a
general meeting in July last year. My background is in
accounting and consultancy with a special interest in corporate governance. I
have been in retirement in the Algarve since 2000.
I take a deep satisfaction from supporting
Madrugada, particularly from knowing that we help people at one of the most
important moments in their lives. We help people to live their life during
their illness and when they are dying we help them to die peacefully.
Madrugada´s “hospice at home” service has
already enabled 29 people to make their own choice about how and where they
spend their last few days of life. The option to die at home peacefully has
been made possible by the dedication of the Madrugada clinical team, volunteers
and public support. In an area where there is no Macmillan Nurse provision, no
Marie Curie service and virtually no community based palliative care provision,
Madrugada strives to provide the care needed and champions the cause to improve
palliative care in the Algarve.
I am delighted that we are now in a
position to extend the provision of care we offer people living in the Algarve.
A Madrugada Centre is due to open in Praia da Luz in the autumn and there are
plans to extend our “hospice at home” service to people living in the Eastern
Algarve. Please read on for more detail on these promising developments.
None
of this could have happened without the tireless efforts of our President,
Alison Blair, and of the volunteers, who work so hard in the Association’s
charity shops and behind the scenes to raise money to make all this possible.
They have achieved so much in such a short time. There is still much to do. But
it is good, once in a while, to simply acknowledge the difference already made
to many people´s lives.
The future of our Association depends on
your continued support and interest, for which I thank you. Please spread the word about Madrugada to
your friends and acquaintances at every opportunity.
Yours sincerely
Robert Megaw