The forum is organized by the foundation "Hospiss LV" with the aim of advancing public comprehension for the development of hospice care services in Latvia in line with the best global practices.
For the second consecutive year, healthcare professionals, industry specialists, and opinion leaders in the field of hospice care will have the opportunity to explain palliative care principles and significance, challenges in working with dying patients and their families, discuss futile treatment, and broaden perspectives on death for the public and policymakers.
"To ensure that the hospice care system in Latvia meets global standards and that death does not evoke fear, it is not enough to merely introduce services. Society as a whole must change. The second Hospiss LV organized discussion forum will continue the exchange of views initiated last year, aiming to change society's discriminatory attitude towards dying people. Forum speakers will help understand several complex issues that will not leave anyone indifferent, allowing listeners to fearlessly and candidly think and talk about death, building an understanding of death not solely based on personal experiences," says Ilze Zosule, co-founder of "Hospiss LV".
Former President of Latvia and physician Valdis Zatlers will open the forum sharing thoughts on what gives value to life in the face of death. Philosophy doctor Agita Misāne will present the conclusions of the three-year-long Riga Stradiņš University research "Memento Mori: End of Life, Death, and Imaginary Afterlife in the Modern Life World of Latvian Inhabitants".
Līga Keiša-Ķirse, a doctor at the RAKUS Palliative Care Department, and Tatjana Jirgensone, a caregiver at the social enterprise "Hospiss Māja" and a lecturer at PSKUS Continuing Education Courses, will share knowledge and experience working with terminally ill and dying people. Latvian Anesthesiologists and Intensive Care Association President Iveta Golubovska will stimulate medical understanding of futile treatment, while bioethics expert and LU Associate Professor Signe Mežinska will clarify ethical considerations.
LU Philosophy Professor Raivis Bičevskis will introduce changes in societal understanding of death and modern culture, and contemplation teacher Georgs Rubenis will invite reflection on why it is worth asking oneself what death means.
Interested parties are invited to watch the forum live on the Hospiss LV Facebook account, TVNET, and LETA.
The forum "Rights to Dignified Death" in 2024 is financially supported by the Society Integration Foundation from the Latvian state budget.