Joint International Conference of the (ADEC) & International Conference on Grief and Bereavement... - Keele University

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Conference Review

Dr Sue Read, Reader, and Dr Kate Lillie, Lecturer, School of Nursing & Midwifery, presented papers at the joint international conference of the Association for Death Education and Counselling (ADEC) 33rd Annual Conference and the 9th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society.  The conference was entitled: Making Connections: Dying, Death and Bereavement in the Global Community, and was held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Miami, Florida, June 22-25th, 2011.

This was a wonderful venue situated on the bay front in Downtown Miami, provided an excellent, luxurious backcloth to a truly multidisciplinary conference. The conference provided a rich, eclectic mix of papers, workshops and experiential opportunities from a range of academics, clinicians (nurses, medics, the clergy, funeral organisers, hospice workers, social workers, volunteers and students) and researchers addressing issues in thanatology (the study of death) from a research and clinical perspective. Participants came from all corners of the globe, including Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Mexico.

 

The conference was peppered with regular  networking group opportunities; creative rooms where artwork, photographs and other visual media were on display; and spaces for quiet reflection. Bookstores were on display throughout, and one of the highlights of the conference was a meet the authors session, where world renown authors in the field of thanatology (e.g. Colin Murray Parkes, J. William Worden, Robert Niemeyer, Thomas Attig, Darcy Harris, and David Kissane) happily chatted and signed books and autographs.

The papers presented incorporated topics such as genetics, families and grief, suicide, support after disasters, meaning of illness (e.g. cancer) and loss, grief support on college campuses, professionalising funeral services, the global impact of grief, specialist impact, religion and culture, and approaches thanatology education. There were also a series of discussion forums, where issues around (for example) the efficacy of grief interventions were debated; and different therapeutic models were compared and contrasted. 

The conference also celebrated achievements, and amongst the awards received, Colin Murray Parkes, OBE, MD, PRCPsych, Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist to St Christopher’s Hospice, Sydenham, UK, and former senior lecturer in psychiatry, was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions within this field.

Dr Sue Read presented one of two papers at the whole conference around people with a  learning disability, which was entitled ‘The Best Practice Guide to living and dying with dignity’, she also presented  a poster entitled ‘ ‘Developing a bereavement tool for intellectual disabilities’. 

 

Dr Kate Lillie presented a paper that was focussed around her PhD entitled ‘Making connections: Dying with a family history of cancer’. Unusually, for a thanatology conference there were three presentations looking at how knowledge of genetic bereavement affects end of life care.

   

On reflection, we both felt privileged to have represented Keele University at such an international arena, and to contribute to such a highly rated conference. We made connections with so many eminent scholars and clinicians from the death and dying world, and reconnected with  colleagues  both in the UK (such as Debbie Kerslake, Chief Executive, Cruse Bereavement Care (UK)  and Dawn Chaplin, NHS, Birmingham, who incidentally presented their excellent project around the bereavement pathways project, to explore seamless integration of bereavement support from hospital to community contexts), and across the globe (such a Ted Bowman, Minnesota, USA, who has been visiting the School of Nursing for years years, facilitating workshops); and Alison Barnwell from Donatelife, NSW Australia discussed emerging issues around organ donation).

Every conference incorporates a conference dinner, and this involved a cruise around the coast of Miami, and a buffet dinner on board-a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow participants and explore ideas in a fabulous setting.

A truly wonderful experience that has undoubtedly expanded our understanding of the complexities of grief, death and dying from a global perspective, and informed our thinking about education, research and practice within the thanatology context. If you would like to view the conference programme and abstrcats, don’t hesitate to contact either of us.

Dr Sue Read, Reader, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Keele University

Dr Kate Lillie, Lecturer, lecturer, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Keele University

Sunday 26th June, 2011, Miami, Florida.