Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reflecting on how generous people can be with their time and their experiences, even when times are impossibly tough. I’ve worked for the charity Parkinson’s UK for the last eight years. In that time I have met hundreds of people whose reality is dominated by the emotional and… Continue reading
Carlos Centeno remembers his first meeting with Cicely Saunders in her famous collection The Management of Terminal Malignant Disease. He describes the influence of that book in his decision to become a palliative care doctor and the later influence of another meeting in another of Cicely´s books: Watch with Me. This reflection illustrates the influences she has had,… Continue reading
In the context of armed conflict, humanitarianism frequently functions as palliation. It is a powerful tool which must be used cautiously, with a close eye on political agendas, asserts Dr Kurt Mills of the Glasgow Human Rights Network in his new book. Palliation as a concept is most often used in the context of end… Continue reading
Being taken round a New Zealand hospice I was amused and, let’s admit it, thrilled to see a well-worn copy of the book, its hard cover almost falling off. “Well used !” I said to the doctor. “ Yes indeed” he said: “perfect for holding up the old piano!” Thankfully he then pointed to two… Continue reading
Sandy Fraser, The Open University I’m 55 years old and have just acquired a long-term health condition. It might be a quite a few years before I acquire another health condition, still longer before I die. Life expectancy for men and women continues to increase but so has the proportion of life spent living with… Continue reading
Since arriving in Dumfries, I’ve been daily graced by a generous view of the local cemetery just across from a park suffocating with screaming, hyperactive children. At first sight, I was struck by how unassumingly picturesque it was—the cemetery sprawls across the side of a hill, rows of stone teeth unnervingly still against swaying trees,… Continue reading
A United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Dying and Seriously Ill could improve global standards for all people at the end of life, proposes Sharon Young of Kingston University. End of life care provision varies widely throughout the world. Standards of care available to the dying and seriously ill depend upon the… Continue reading
The University of Glasgow awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science to Derek Doyle, one of the pioneers of modern palliative care, in July 2014. Since then Dr Doyle has been a popular and regular contributor to our blog. Here he blogs about the origins of palliative medicine as a specialty. Some readers may… Continue reading
