From 20 to 23 September 2022, the international PHPCI conference will be held in the new Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre. For 4 days, this conference will focus on the dialogue between the scientific world and the general public about the democratization of palliative care and end of life care.
Death, suffering and loss are still considered to be taboos in today’s society. This conference helps to find a solution to this problem: how can compassionate communities, like Compassionate Bruges, help break this taboo and put severe illnesses, voluntary healthcare, death and loss high on the agenda of policymakers? The brand-new BMCC will be the venue for this conference while at the same time, the historical city centre of Bruges will be the setting for several activities around these themes.
“The challenges brought by severe illness, voluntary healthcare, death and loss cannot all be solved in a professional healthcare environment. That is why the Compassionate City network – a network of committed civilians set up in 2020 in collaboration with the end of life care research group ‘Zorg rond het Levenseinde’ from the VUB/UGent – has been working on these themes,” says Alderman for Welfare Pieter Marechal.
Alderman for Social Affairs Pablo Annys adds to this: “In the last few months, the local administration, healthcare and welfare associations, workplaces, schools, religious communities and local neighbourhoods have all joined forces to open up discussion about these themes in various places, in various organizations and on various moments. High-quality care, even in the final life phase, has always been the main concern of Compassionate Bruges. The expert knowledge that will be brought to Bruges during this conference will definitely allow us to focus on this even more in the future. We look forward to being the first Compassionate City in Belgium to welcome this conference.”
Compassionate Community: a tested method to democratize caregiving
Professor Luc Deliens of the research group ‘Zorg rond het Levenseinde’: “Compassionate Communities that democratize caring, dying and grieving offer a solution to the pressing need of civilians, companies, associations, communities and their social environment to become more involved again in the process of loss, mourning and caregiving. We are very proud and happy to bring the seventh international PHPCI conference to Bruges. This conference will allow Compassionate Bruges and other Compassionate communities to enter into a dialogue with this international movement.”
“We are very proud that PHCPI chose Bruges as the venue for its seventh conference, especially in the year 2022, when the new Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre will open its doors. This new building is located in the heart of historical Bruges. When you step outside, you will immediately see what this remarkable UNESCO Word Heritage City has to offer,” says Alderman for Tourism and Chairman of BMCC Philip Pierins.