The promise of the ‘good death’: reality or illusion?
In contemporary discourse, end-of-life care is often framed within the ideal of a 'good death': one that is free from distress and discomfort, surrounded by loved ones, and in a preferred place—usually at home. However, this concept can sometimes obscure the complex realities of dying.
This event will challenge the notion of the 'good death', examining how societal and professional assumptions about end-of-life care can sometimes conflict with the realities faced by individuals nearing the end of their lives.
Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion that will delve into the nuances of what constitutes a 'good death' and explore the gap between policy ideals and the lived experiences of patients and their families.
About the speakers
Dr Ben Bowers is a Postdoctoral Fellow at 777ӰԺ, Cambridge, a Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow, and a practicing Honorary Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care. He is an interdisciplinary researcher, working with colleagues in engineering, patient safety, social sciences, primary care, and palliative care. His postdoctoral research interests include improving last-days-of-life symptom control and systems for providing person-centred end-of-life care at home. In 2023, to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS, Ben was announced as one of the 75 nurses and midwives whose work has had an especially significant impact on the NHS since its creation.
Prof Kristian Pollock is a Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Nottingham and a researcher at the Nottingham Centre for the Advancement of Research into Supportive, Palliative and End-of-life Care. She has a background in social anthropology and qualitative research and a long-standing interest in patient and public understanding and experience of health and illness. Her current research interests include advance care planning, communication and information in healthcare, dementia, medicines management, end-of-life care, and death and dying. She is currently Research Ethics Officer for the School of Health Sciences.
"'It comes to us all': Death and dying" series
This event is part of an ongoing series on Death and Dying taking place at the Intellectual Forum in October and November. Find out more about the series.
