I am working on a new book at the moment, entitled To Comfort Always: A history of palliative medicine from the nineteenth century. In the opening chapter, I try to tease out some of the approaches to pain relief that were developing during the Victorian period in Britain. It is a fascinating trajectory. As the… Continue reading
Billy Connolly’s Big Send Off has done a lot to raise public interest in funerals, rituals and memorials of various kinds, and has touched and amused us in the process. The recent and hugely successful Dying Matters awareness week – You Only Die Once (#YODO) – has also drawn attention to end of life care needs across… 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
Have you ever considered how you might like to die? You may have made a will, but do you have an advance care plan stating your wishes and preferences for when your life comes to an end? You may have a ‘bucket list’ of things you want to do before you die, but where and… Continue reading
As the volume of new commentary and information on end of life issues increases it can be hard to step back from the daily flow of material. I’ve always enjoyed the BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Pick of the Week’, so from time to time on the blog I will pick out some of the… 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
