Artroom has two artists and a writer in residence working at Roxburghe House. Emily Utter works closely with patients on a range of projects, including life writing. Emily attended the Demystifying Death Conference at Glasgow Renfield Centre in February. The event was organised by Good Life, Good Death, the Good Grief Network and the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care. The event featured a number of speakers and workshops for professionals working in the field of Palliative Care. This is Emily’s account of her day.

‘It was a grey and drizzly morning when I got off the train in Glasgow and made my way to the Renfield Centre – a repurposed church – for the Demystifying Death Conference.

There was an incredible buzz of activity in the ‘chapel,’ where the main programme of events took place throughout the day, and though the room itself was a bit chilly, there was a real warmth and passion from all of the speakers.

Dr Allan Kellehear kicked things off with an amazing presentation about exploring why improving death, dying, and bereavement has to be about ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’ – notably, care for the dying and bereaved must become embedded in local communities.

I was particularly interested to hear from Dominic Campbell about the Irish Hospice Foundation’s Art and Cultural Engagement programme. ‘You might not be cured but you might leave healed,’ struck a particular chord with me.

I took part in an art session in the afternoon, which was lovely – especially because I recently experienced my own bereavement (and this was the theme of the workshop).

Finally, Dr Kathryn Mannix spoke about the importance of an ‘ordinary death’ – using the Queen as an example. ‘Dying is not as bad as you think,’ certainly echoed my own observations from working in palliative care for 8 years.

This was a hugely valuable experience for me on both a personal and professional level. I’m keen to see how I can bring some of what I’ve learned into my work and to the service we provide here at Roxburghe House.’