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Symposium

Social Research, Policy, and Practice

How Can Dying, Death, Loss and Bereavement Be Incorporated in the Policy and Practice of Aging in Place?

Wednesday, November 8, 2023
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Location: Room 415

‘Aging in place’ has been one of the key goals for policymakers in the last 20 years, often translated into policies of deinstitutionalization. Due to the high costs of residential care, the home has re-emerged as a key site for the provision and consumption of care and support. Several critiques of this evolution have been formulated, including the challenges ageing in place might represent for older people, leading to reduced quality of life, and the need to consider low quality of older people’s houses, meaning that older people’s homes might not be the “best” places to age. However, what has received too little attention in the whole "aging in place" discourse is the end-of-life. This symposium addresses this by illustrating that we cannot talk about ageing in place without talking about dying in place. The authors present research on how dying, death, loss and bereavement might be included in the ageing-in-place policy and practice: Doran sets the stage with a critical reflection of ageing in place and the need to reflect on joining up ageing in place and end-of-life theory and practice. Smetcoren reports on the development of a ‘maison de mourance’ in a ‘co-housing and co-caring’ project in Brussels. Dury discusses consolation spaces in Flanders and how they decrease the taboo on death, grief and loss in the neighborhood. And Stegen reports on the caring neighbourhood-movement in Belgium and how some orient themselves to becoming part of a worldwide network of ‘compassionate communities’.

Learning Objectives:

  • After attending the session, participants will be aware of how dying, death, loss and bereavement can be included in the ageing-in-place policy and practice
  • After attending the session, participants will be aware of how dying, death, loss and bereavement are part of caring and compassionate communities
  • After attending this session, participants will be able to describe several pitfalls and success factors for setting up end-of-life-facilities in and together with the community.

Presentations:

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    Consolation Spaces: Do They Help to Make Serious Illness, Death, and Loss Discussable in the Community?

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Sarah Dury (she/her/hers) – Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    Exploring the Role of the Community at the End of Life: Experiences From a Small Community-Led End-of-Life Project

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: An-Sofie Smetcoren, PhD (she/her/hers) – Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    A Critical Reflection on Aging in Place: Including End of Life in Age-Friendly Policy

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Patty Doran, PhD (she/her/hers) – The University of Manchester

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    Breaking the Taboo of Serious Illness, Dying, and Loss in the Community: Caring Neighborhoods in Belgium

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Hannelore Stegen (she/her/hers) – Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) & Society and Ageing Research Lab (SARLab), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)