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Multifaith perspectives on spiritual care at end of life

Thu 7 Nov 2024 5:30 PM - 6:45 PM GMT Sibilla Room, West Court, Jesus College, CB5 8BQ

Multifaith perspectives on spiritual care at end of life

Thu 7 Nov 2024 5:30 PM - 6:45 PM GMT Sibilla Room, West Court, Jesus College, CB5 8BQ

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Religious and spiritual beliefs often play a significant role in how many individuals approach their own death and dying. Understanding and respecting these beliefs is crucial for providing compassionate and effective end-of-life care.

This panel event will bring together leaders, researchers and teachers from the traditions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity to explore how these religions guide individuals and their loved ones through the processes of death, dying, and grief. It also explores how faith finds a place in secular settings such as hospitals, hospices and care facilities and how care workers, medical teams and families can be better informed and equipped to support their patients and loved ones with spiritual care.

What are the diverse rituals, practices, and theological perspectives that shape the end-of-life experiences within these faith traditions? How can medical practitioners ensure that care is aligned with an individual’s spiritual beliefs?

Join us for a discussion on the intersection of spiritual and physical caretaking during death and dying.

If you would like to join us online, please register via Zoom.

About the speakers

Margaret Doherty is Director of The Centre for the Art of Dying Well, at St Mary’s University, Twickenham., London, whose mission is ‘to help people to live and die well and be supported in their grief. Originally an initiative of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the Centre has been based at St Mary’s since 2018. Turning research into tangible action is one of the principal ways in which the Centre pursues its mission, alongside practical companionship; training and support for care givers; and engaging the public, shaping policy and changing the national conversation about death and dying. Research projects include the 2021 report with Demos on the role of the internet platforms for peer-to-peer grieving support. It also hosts an award-winning podcast with that tag line ‘making death and dying something we can all talk about’.

Dr Emma Harris is Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. The Institute has strong links to the University of Cambridge and combines teaching, scholarship and public engagement, focusing on Jews, Christians and Muslims, to encourage tolerance and foster understanding between people of all beliefs. Between 2018 and 2022, Emma managed the Diversity in End of Life Care training programme and led on the development of the Woolf Institute publication, Diversity in End of Life Care: A Handbook on Caring for Jewish, Christian and Muslim Patients. This resource is used as a tool during training and for continued learning and development on the wards and in other healthcare spaces. Emma has also been involved with the interfaith teaching for ordinands at the Cambridge Theological Federation and has taught on aspects of Jewish practice and Jewish-Christian Relations in English literature.

Dr Sejad Mekić studied in Bosnia before obtaining a BA from the University of Wales, an MPhil from University of Cambridge and a PhD from SOAS, University of London. He has served as Imam in mosques across Bosnia and the UK, as well as serving as chaplain at HMP Highpoint. He has lectured at the Ahmed Yesevi University in Kazakhstan, the Muslim College of London, and Cambridge Muslim College.

"'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.

Location

Sibilla Room, West Court, Jesus College, CB5 8BQ