Established in October 2023, the Palliative and End of Life Care Taskforce was created to advance care for people with dementia during the most critical stages of life. This collaborative initiative brings together researchers who are passionate about improving palliative and end-of-life care. The taskforce serves as a hub for sharing research initiatives, findings and publications, identifying gaps in current knowledge, fostering new collaborations, and providing a space for discussion on emerging research ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our members come from the UK, France, Belgium, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Brazil. We are especially keen to welcome more members from Eastern European countries to broaden our perspectives. We\u2019re proud to have strong involvement from INTERDEM Academy members and are committed to supporting early career researchers in this field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Aims<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To foster international partnerships and encourage the exchange of knowledge and expertise across disciplines and borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To share research findings, best practices, and innovations with researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, ensuring that evidence informs care and decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To identify and tackle current gaps in the evidence base, generating impactful research that enhances palliative and end-of-life care for people affected by dementia and informs policy and guidance in this area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taskforce Activities and Workstreams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Taskforce meets online every other month and meet in person annual at the Alzheimer\u2019s Europe Conference. We currently have three active workstreams, each addressing key areas in palliative and end-of-life care for people with dementia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Psychosocial and Spiritual Care at End of Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The EAPC white Paper on optimal palliative care for people with dementia1<\/sup> highlights the importance of psychosocial and spiritual care in its eighth domain. Now over a decade old, the Taskforce set out to explore whether new research has emerged to inform and update its recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These efforts aim to ensure that care remains up to date, person-centred and evidence-based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Mapping Palliative Care Provision Across Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Led by Dr. Jean-Bernard Mabire and Dr. Ana Barbosa, this workstream is mapping the provision of palliative care services across Europe. The findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The group is currently preparing a publication to share these insights more widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Professional Skills in Responding to Requests for Assisted Dying<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Professor Arlene Astell and Professor Anne Marie Mork Rokstad are leading work on the skills and confidence of health and care professionals in responding to requests for assisted dying\u2014regardless of whether such practices are legal in their country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This work will explore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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We aim to grow our network, particularly by welcoming more researchers from Eastern European countries and other underrepresented regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Our teams are working on publications, including findings from the mapping of palliative care provision and reviews on spiritual care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
We are exploring the development of additional workstreams based on emerging research needs and member interests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n