The objectives of the Hold my Hand project were to promote a culture of mindful end-of-life support, to provide adults with the tools they need to discuss end-of-life issues with their loved ones and healthcare professionals, to ensure that information is passed on and documents relating to choices and anticipation of end-of-life care are taken into account between the person, their relatives, residential establishments and hospital institutions, to help institutions encourage residents‘ “autonomy-in-relation”, to support establishments in reconsidering how they deal with ageing and residents’ wishes, and to improve communication between establishments/institutions and their beneficiaries.
The Hold my Hand project is based on the observation that questions relating to anticipating the end of life were not sufficiently addressed in our society, particularly among the general public. What's more, end-of-life practices vary widely across the European Union. The project was therefore designed to raise awareness of a whole range of issues relating to anticipating the end of life (spiritual, ethical, administrative, support for the individual, dialogue within the family, etc.). The consortium's objective was to provide everyone with answers, via easily accessible educational tools, on how to deal with the issue of death. Care professionals were also targeted, by offering them tools to go beyond palliative care, when we are talking about the end of life.