On 29th November 2024 the U.K.’s House of Commons voted in favour (330 to 275) of giving Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill a second reading in the UK parliamentary process. This was a momentous moment in the history of the right-to-die movement which I have been researching for nearly… Continue reading →
How many times have you used or seen the term “loved one” this week? If you work in healthcare or the service sector, there’s a good chance it is quite a few. Have you ever stopped to think what is meant by it, its limitations or if you use it how it might be received?… Continue reading →
End-of-life doulas offer non-medical supports, guidance, and comfort for people with advancing serious illness, including those close to them. They have been gaining a lot of attention from the public, media, and health care systems as our previous ideas and traditions of care for dying, death, and bereavement continue to shift within the 21st century.… Continue reading →
“Total pain” is the term used within hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care to describe pain which is complex and overwhelming, and which encompasses physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. It is an attempt to encapsulate experiences of suffering that are unique to advancing life-limiting illness, the end of life, and dying. The term was first… Continue reading →
The Dying in the Margins project began in 2019, with the aim of uncovering the reasons behind unequal access to home dying for people experiencing financial hardship and socio-economic deprivation in the UK. Now, in 2023, we are thrilled to announce the public exhibition of the photographs created through the study. The ‘Cost of Dying’ exhibition will be… Continue reading →
In this blog Gina Tarditi, a psychologist in Mexico City and End of Life Studies MSc student, describes an event she organised with oncologists to debate 2022 Lancet Report on the Value of Death. I work at The National Cancer Institute (INCAN) in Mexico City which is one of the largest cancer centers in Latin… Continue reading →
Today, Tuesday 27th September 2022, we are releasing the first 3 digital stories from our research project about barriers to, and experiences of, home dying when experiencing financial insecurity and hardship. Digital stories are 2-3 minute films combining photos, music and voiceover, within a narrative structure. This is a participatory visual method, adapted for use… Continue reading →
‘Total Pain’ as the Pain of a Lifetime This post looks at Cicely Saunders’ influential term ‘total pain’ in terms of endings and limits. ‘Total pain’ articulates how pain for someone whose life is ending is a whole overwhelming experience which combines physical, psychological, social and spiritual elements. My own PhD project looks at how… Continue reading →
