In this podcast, theologian Martina Holder-Franz and Professor David Clark talk about the influence of philosophy, theology and spirituality in the work of Dame Cicely Saunders, who is often described as the founder of the modern hospice movement. This conversation was recorded during the Symposium on the Life and Work of Cicely Saunders organised by… Continue reading
Arriving in Mumbai, the city I am most familiar with in India, I reflected on how much had changed for me back home in the last year: a new home, a new job, and a husband. The noise, smells and sights of India felt reassuringly familiar. Less than 24 hours later I boarded a flight… Continue reading
I wrote this article on curative and palliative care during a research visit to Bangladesh, and it was first published in Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo in February 2016. It is reproduced here with kind permission of the paper’s editors. Following the Bengali text is a version in English. চিকিৎসা এবং উপশম বিষয়ক এই লেখাটি আমি… Continue reading
When this month’s issue of the journal Palliative Medicine dropped through the letter box, I was interested to see that the headline article is a ‘white paper’ from the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) – on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. I often remark that there is no consensus on how we should die. The… Continue reading
When I first came to work in Dumfries and Galloway, a rural area in the south west of Scotland, I began to explore the local healthcare scene and was told by several people that our region had a high rate of home deaths. Some reported that everyone wishing to die at home was able to… Continue reading
As academics in palliative care in Scotland (David Clark, Marie Fallon and Scott Murray) we are delighted to see the prominent place given to research in the recently-published Scottish Government Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care (2016-21). The Framework and the supporting evidence report not only draw heavily on recent… Continue reading
Published in German 10 years after the death of Cicely Saunders, Der Horizont ist nur die Grenze unserer Sicht is a worthy tribute to her and a significant contribution to the continuing Saunders legacy. Diverse in content, liberal leaning in its theology, Beyond the Horizon has roots deep in tradition and draws on several cultures,… Continue reading
I believe that the Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care has captured the core issues that face us in improving care in Scotland for people with life limiting illness and those close to them. The Scottish Government’s document avoids the pitfalls of ‘top-down’ and ‘checklist’ directives, but provides a clear vision and… Continue reading
