This invitation stems from meeting Margaret Dobie, who I first got to know last fall, shortly after I arrived in Dumfries to join the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group.
Margaret has attended many of the Group’s community events in Dumfries and Galloway over the last two years, and when I wrote my first post on this blog, she contacted me and suggested a welcome chat over tea.
Since then we’ve been meeting regularly, discussing a variety of issues to do with later life in the Dumfries and Galloway region.
Here Margaret shares some of reasons why she contacted me:
“I trained as a medical social worker in the early 1950s. At that time we were called Hospital Almoners. Much of our work was with the elderly and one of our mottos was ‘We must add life to years as well as years to life’. Naturally, I was interested when I read that the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group was to be set up in Dumfries at the Crichton. I wondered if I could make any contribution, not as a retired hospital almoner, but as an octogenarian who has lived for most of her life in this Dumfries community and now has a personal interest! So I contacted Marian, and here we are.
The end of life period is something that concerns us all, young and old, whether for ourselves or for those we care for, but we are unsure how or when to talk about it and to whom. Most of us fear old age and death, but perhaps bringing it out into the open could allay some of our fears, start discussion in the community, and result in better provision of care.
That is why the events put on by the End of Life Studies Group – such as the lectures, film screenings, and community gatherings – are a really good place to learn more from each other. I think all the different types of projects your group is involved in are hugely important. I am particularly excited about the work being done to develop the Crichton into a ‘care campus’ that includes housing and services for older people in an environment of mixed ages and needs. I think we all want to be in on this and hope to live to see it!”
Inspired by these conversations with Margaret, the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group will be adding to our existing public activities by starting a regular series of public events to showcase our work, to celebrate the local support of our community, and to explore further opportunities for community collaboration.
Margaret and I warmly welcome you to join us for the first of these events on 22 March 2018 at the Crichton Campus, Rutherford McCowan Building (Room 151), from 10am until noon.
Come along to hear about the new and continuing projects the End of Life Studies Group is working on, including those taking place in the Dumfries and Galloway region.
My colleagues and I will discuss some of our projects, including:
- Jackie Kandsberger – Advance Care Planning with GPs in Dumfries & Galloway
- Joe Wood – The philosophy of Dame Cicely Saunders
- Dr Marian Krawczyk – Hospital care in the last year of life
- Solveiga Zibaite – Death Positivity and Death Cafes
- Dr Naomi Richards – Compassionate Communities
- Professor David Clark – The Crichton Care Campus
This will be followed by tea and refreshments. We look forward to seeing you.
If you have any further questions or want more information, please feel free to contact me at Marian.Krawczyk@glasgow.ac.uk
Marian