EMBED

Wed, Sep 18th 2024 at 12:40 am - 2:00 am

Experiences of MultimorBidity at the End of Life, as studied by Dr Sarah Webster from the School of Medicine at St Andrews University.

Guest speaker was Dr Sarah Bowers, Clinical PhD Fellow in the university’s School of Medicine. Sarah is a palliative care Registrar dividing her time between working clinically and researching for her PhD. Her subject was ‘Experiences of Multimorbidity at End of Life’ (EMBED), which she described as working to understand the experiences of people living with multiple health conditions and how they become more dependent on support as they grow older. As our ageing population increases this has ever greater impact on our health services -in 2007 33% of the population had two or more conditions at the time of death; in 2040 this is expected to rise to 43.5%. The Scottish Longitudinal Study holds data which can be used to understand how different aspects of the NHS are impacted by an increasing elderly population. Sarah's work aims to better understand the experiences of those with multimorbidity and how to improve help for them. She has strong links with the Fife Community Advisory Council working with people in the local community, seeking to provide planned care rather than just reacting to each separate medical event. A better understanding of the last years of life of both patients and their carers will make a big impact on the work of providing end of life care. This was a serious talk delivered with clarity and compassion. Ann Baird gave the vote of thanks.

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