Compassionate Societies - Death is a public health issue

This was an evening hoping to address the topic of Death as something that needs to be addressed more often with a sense of compassion, thoughtfulness and reflection, in civil society. To achieve this, we invited Professor Emerita Carol Tishelman from KI as moderator, along with Martin Wiklund from SU, Johan Fredrikzon from KTH and Max Kleijberg from both KI and Mälardalens Universitet as panelists. Their varied and extensive experience from fields such as public health palliative care, history of ideas, history of technology and equity in care promised an evening of many perspectives and insights.

We invited the audience to reflect, contribute and ask questions, and many alumni from all three universities of the alliance arrived at the grand aula of Medicinska Föreningen to do just that. Both panelists and audience were encouraged to approach this subject from the standpoint that we all need to have fora to talk about caregiving for one another, dying and death, and, grief, at home, at work and in schools. Death is a public health issue, as something that concerns and affects us all. Something that benefits from openhearted and compassionate dialogue and communication.

The evening was concluded with a wonderful performance by the skilled ensemble Arytmica, delivering deep and sonorous folk-music with select songs on the theme of death.