The festival aims to confront attendees with the universal truth of their own mortality. This is done with humour and creativity and through ‘music, workshops, literature and installations’.

The festival runs from the 27th to the 29th January. For more information and to book tickets click here.

The exhibition focuses mainly on material culture and the rituals of death and dying. Different perspectives about what occurs after death are also examined and contrasted and visitors are encouraged to think about how they themselves would like to be remembered through a number of interactive activities.

For more information click here

EuroImpact is recruiting four experienced researchers to be based in London, Lancaster, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Description of individual research projects and institutes

Researcher 1 together with researcher 2: Developing a handbook on palliative care for older people

Researcher 1:

Work site: The Vrije Universiteit Brussel, End-of-Life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium for 2 years (and expected to travel to Switzerland for 3 months).

Deadline for application: March 15 2012 (provisional)

Starting date: from June 1 2012 (negotiable)

Researcher 2:

Work site: VU University Medical Center and EMGO Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands for 1.5 years (and expected to travel to Belgium for 3 months)

Deadline for application: June 1 2012 (provisional)

Starting date: from Dec 1 2012 (negotiable)

Research project: Aim is to develop a handbook on palliative care for older people using the scientific output of the different PhD students already working in the project and working together with expert institutes conducting research in this field. An international editorial board will be set up reflecting the different important disciplines involved in palliative care for older people.

Other key activities include: to undertake research in the field of palliative and end-of-life care in a European context, to prepare reports and scientific publications, to assist in the dissemination of results, and to represent the project and department and to attend and provide research training specific to the project.

Contact persons:

Researcher 1 (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium):

Prof dr Lieve Van den Block – Tel +32 474 78 18 72 – Email: lvdblock@vub.ac.be

Researcher 2 (VU University Medical Center and EMGO Institute, the Netherlands):

Prof dr Bregje Onwuteaka-Philipsen – Tel +31 204 44 83 85 – Email: b.philipsen@vumc.nl

Researcher 3: Developing a guideline on symptom assessment and clinical applicability of computer symptom assessment

Work site: King’s College London, London, Cicely Saunders Institute, London, UK (www.csi.kcl.ac.uk) for 1.5 years (and expected to travel to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Pain and Palliation Research Group, Trondheim, Norway, for 3 months)

Deadline for application: March 15 2012 (provisional)

Starting date: from June 1 2012 (negotiable)

Research project: Aim is to develop an evidence based guideline on the clinical applicability of symptom assessment using the scientific output of the different PhD students already working in the project together with conducting original research, and working with experts in this field. Guideline development will follow standard methods, and involved the other organizations in EUROIMPACT.

Other key activities include: to undertake research in the field of palliative and end-of-life care in a European context, to prepare reports and scientific publications, to assist in the dissemination of results, and to represent the project and department and to attend and provide research training specific to the project.

Contact persons:

Prof dr Irene Higginson – Tel  + 44 207 848 5516 – Email irene.higginson@kcl.ac.uk / palliativecare@kcl.ac.uk

Dr Richard Harding – Tel +44 207 848 8184 – Email richard.harding@kcl.ac.uk

Mrs Lucy Bradley – Tel + 44 207 848 5518 – Email lucy.bradley@kcl.ac.uk

Researcher 4: Developing a guideline on palliative sedation

Work site: Lancaster University, International Observatory on End-of-Life Care, Lancaster, UK for 1.5 years (and expected to travel to the VU University Medical Center and EMGO Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for 3 months)

Deadline for application: January 31 2012

Starting date: from June 1 2012

Research project: Aim is to evaluate the practice of palliative sedation until death, also called terminal sedation when food and fluid are forgone, in different European countries. Recent studies have shown that the prevalence of this end-of-life decision has grown substantially in the past decades, in contrast to the empirical information about it. Research into how, why, where and by whom it is practiced is high on the agenda of palliative care research. The researcher will use several retrospective and prospective quantitative and qualitative data sets that have been or are being gathered across Europe eg. questionnaires and interviews with physicians and nurses, studies in the nursing home setting.

Other key activities include: to undertake research in the field of palliative and end-of-life care in a European context, to prepare reports and scientific publications, to assist in the dissemination of results, and to represent the project and department and to attend and provide research training specific to the project.

For more information, please visit the University’s eRecruitment site

Contact persons:

Prof dr Sheila Payne – Tel +44 1524 593701 – Email: s.a.payne@lancaster.ac.uk

Dr Sarah Brearley – Tel + 44 1524 592574 – Email: sarah.brearley@lancaster.ac.uk

For further details click here

The post entails conducting a prospective ethnographic study with young people, their parents and health professionals and a review concerning factors related to young peoples’ decision making processes.

This position may be of interest for anthropology or sociology students.

For further information see the following link.

The research project, led by Dr Gail Ewing at the Centre for Family Research, concerns the communication of cancer diagnoses.

Candidates should ideally have a PhD in cancer or palliative care research and experience in qualitative and quantitative methods.

More information can be found on the following link.

http://www.lifebeforedeath.com/movie/short-films.shtml

We would like to hear your opinions about the movies – please leave comments below.

Evans N, Meñaca A, Andrew EVW, Koffman J, Harding R, Higginson IJ, Pool R and Gysels M. (2011) “Appraisal of literature reviews on end-of-life care for minority ethnic groups in the UK and a critical comparison with policy recommendations from the UK end-of-life care strategy.” BMC Health Services Research 2011, 11:141 (2 June 2011)

Meñaca A, Evans N, Andrew EVW, Toscani T, Finetti S, Gómez-Batiste X, Higginson IJ, Harding R, Pool R, Gysels M (2011) “End-of-life care across Southern Europe: a critical review of cultural similarities and differences between Italy, Spain and Portugal”. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology (in press)

The bursary is for costs up to £20,000. Applicants must be from the United Kingdom or European Union. For further details click here.

The following oral presentations will be held on 19.05.2011 at 16:30-18:00 in the ‘Ethics II’ session:

Culture, Country and End-of-Life Care. Similarities and Differences between Italy, Spain and Portugal

A. Menaca, Barcelona, CRESIB

Cultural Context of End-of-Life Care: A Scoping Exercise of the Belgian Literature

EVW Andrew, Barcelona, CRESIB

Physician Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia and Palliative Sedation: Attitudes and Incidence in Germany

N. Evans, Barcelona, CRESIB

In addition, the following poster presentations can be viewed during the congress:

Medical End-of-Life Decisions in Belgium: A Review of the Literature

EVW Andrew, Barcelona, CRESIB

A Critical Review of Advance Directives in Germany: Attitudes, Use and Physician Compliance

N. Evans, Barcelona, CRESIB

Systematic Review of Reviews of End-of-Life Care for Minority Ethnic Groups in the UK and a Critical Comparison with Policy Recommendations from the UK End-of-Life Care Strategy

N. Evans, Barcelona, CRESIB

We hope to see you in Lisbon!

In order to better focus our work, we would like people to share with us their opinions and experiences, particularly the impact of culture and cultural differences in different countries and places of care.

We would also appreciate any general comments about the blog, the work and features posted to the blog, or the focus of our work.

The research carried out by our team has identified a number of important priorities in regard to culture and end of life care. We would be particularly interested to know what patients, carers and health care professionals think about the following two issues:

1. Cultural competence and care for minority ethnic groups

Evidence of low use of end of life care services by minority ethnic groups and some dissatisfaction with care has increased the popularity of ‘cultural competency’ approaches.

‘Cultural competency’ training attempts to make health care professionals sensitive to cultural differences, provide them with knowledge about different cultural traditions and includes specific skills training in areas such as communication.^1-3

There have, however, been a number of criticisms raised about such training – that a focus on information about specific cultural groups can lead to stereotyping and that such training serves to routinise the encounter between healthcare professionals and service users from different cultural backgrounds.^{4 5}

What do you think about such training?

Do you think such training can improve the quality of care?

Do you think it will lead to people from minority ethnic groups being treated differently?

Are you a healthcare professional who has undertaken such training? Do you feel that cultural competency training improved your interactions with people from different cultural backgrounds? If not, why not?

Please share your opinions and experiences by posting a comment!

2. Diversity in changing environments

Cultural differences can be as pronounced between people from different generations as people from different cultural backgrounds. In the context of changing cultural identities how should cultural preferences be taken into account in end of life care?

Do you think that cultural competency approaches are useful or even appropriate in a changing society?

Post a comment and let us know what you think!

1. Papadopoulos I, Tilki M, Taylor G. Transcultural care: a guide for health care professionals. 1998.

2. Lister P. A Taxonomy for Developing Cultural Competence. Nurse Education Today 1999;19(4):313-18.

3. Campinha-Bacote J. The process of cultural competence in the delivery of health care services: A model of care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing 2002;13(3):181-84.

4. Gunaratnam Y. Intercultural palliative care: do we need cultural competence? International Journal of Palliative Nursing 2007;13(10):470.

5. Gunaratnam Y. From competence to vulnerability: Care, ethics, and elders from racialized minorities. Mortality 2008;13(1):24-41.