Modern activists in palliative and end of life care work increasingly in a global context, where international links and collaborations have been become a regular feature of day to day activity. But it was not always the case. The early pioneers lived in an era before the internet and instant electronic communication. It is interesting… Continue reading
A new report has just appeared from the excellent Atlantes team at the University of Navarra in Spain. It sets out a detailed description of the development in Europe of palliative medicine as a field of specialisation. This is a challenging issue to study, in a context where modes of accreditation, licensing and associated procedural… Continue reading
Very soon Dame Barbara Monroe will retire after a tremendous term of office as Chief Executive at St Christopher’s Hospice in South London – and many years there before that as a practising social worker. The event set me thinking about the early origins of St Christopher’s and some of the factors that shaped its… Continue reading
I was delighted by the interest in Watch with Me following my recent post and set out to find a pdf of the 2005 version. Fortunately it was still there on an old laptop. So here it is: Watch with Me full text 2005 (PDF) along with Watch with Me cover details 2005 (PDF)… Continue reading
Last week I gave a lecture at the University of Navarra on the life, the work and the legacy of Cicely Saunders. The lecture focused in particular on the religious and spiritual journey that Cicely Saunders made over a personal and professional lifetime and how it paralleled her work in hospice and palliative care. I… Continue reading
A striking feature of the nineteenth century ‘turn’ towards institutional care for the dying – which led to the first homes and hospices specifically for that purpose – is the central role played by religiously and philanthropically inspired women. These individuals operated across countries and continents, but as far as we can tell, were not linked… Continue reading
