How could we not believe miracles don’t happen when we actually witnessed one! That miracle to us was the successful accomplishment of the STUDENTSPALCON2015 international conference on the topic “youth in palliative care” organized mutually by the Institute of Palliative Medicine, Calicut and the Students in Palliative Care. To organize a conference was initially… Continue reading
Recently I had an opportunity to spend time at some of the Maggie’s Centres throughout Scotland. This formed part of a Medical Humanities project during the third year of my degree in Medicine. As we know, an aim is always a good place to start and I set out to learn about the philosophy, development and core principles… Continue reading
The ATOME project comes to a close after five years of research and advocacy. The results strengthen our knowledge of barriers and challenges to access to opioid medication and more importantly how to overcome them. The project outputs include: the revised WHO policy guidelines on ensuring balance to controlled medicines and detailed reports on barriers… Continue reading
Four months ago our organisation, the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC) created a space on the web where anyone could post a brief message of remembrance about dead loved ones who remain important to them. Little by little, day by day, non-virally, that space has grown into a powerful reminder of the diversity and… Continue reading
I have been on the phone for the past hour to a journalist writing an article on Death Cafés and the movement to get people talking about death. Is this, she asked, because death in our society is repressed? Is there a taboo against talking about it? “No,” I answered, “if we need to talk… Continue reading
Hailing from a Dylan Thomas-like diminutive, unassuming, “ugly, lovely” former coal mining village in South Wales, UK – whose inhabitants routinely greet friends and strangers alike with a warm, embracing “Morning!” couched in a melodious Welsh lilt – I could be more readily forgiven for small-town parochialism than any meaningful participation in a global dialogue.… Continue reading
This summer the Scottish campaign, Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, which works to make Scotland a place where there is more openness about death, dying and bereavement, has partnered with the world renowened Edinburgh Fringe Festival to launch its own programe of shows – Death on the Fringe. What better place to encourage debate… Continue reading
Ten million people in the UK are over the age of 65 and the need for end of life care is growing. The pressures on healthcare services, the caring profession and family carers are set to rise in coming years. But for many people in the UK, death and how we die are difficult… Continue reading
