Here is an example of some of the current projects being undertaken within Open Thanatology. If you are interested in collaboration with us, please contact Erica Borgstrom or the group member that aligns with your research interests. You can see more projects that individual members are part of by visiting their individual staff profiles. Members of Open Thanatology also lead or are involved in several Open Societal Challenges.
Very little is known about the bereavement experiences of staff in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), despite bereavement being a common experience and one that can impact both one’s wellbeing and work performance. Members of Open Thanatology (Erica Borgstrom, Claire A Harris, Kerry Jones and Sharon Mallon) have surveyed staff across universities, open to all levels and roles, to find out more about staff knowledge of their institutions’ policies and their own bereavement experiences. This is part of a larger body of work that Dr Borgstrom is leading to improve bereavement experience in higher education institutes focusing on policy, training, and compassionate, supportive environments.
As part of the DAPPLE project, Several members of Open Thanatology are collaborating with other universities and partners to find the best ways to make sure that people with a learning disability get the right care and support at the end of their lives. The project is funded by the NIHR (National Institute of Health Research).
A team of researchers (Erica Borgstrom, Kirsten Bashir, Catherine Pestano, and Esther Ramsey-Jones) are working with End of Life Doula UK to evaluate their service provision in the Leeds area following an innovative commissioning arrangement between the organisation and the NHS. As part of the project, the team have developed a survey to measure impact of doula support and a case study vignette template to capture a rich picture of who the doulas are supporting and the kinds of support they offer. The project is HEIF KTV (Knowledge Transfer Voucher) funded enabling knowledge exchange between the organisation and the university.
Existential Dis/Connections seeks to act as a decolonising hub to connect up work on the key existential human challenges of mortality, loss and change which are so relevant to the Climate and Ecological Emergency but are currently being considered in different social and organisational spaces, and largely dominated by affluent Anglophone and Eurocentric perspectives. You can read more about the existential challenges of human mortality in these times of the climate and ecological emergency in this blog by Dr Jane McCarthy.
Dr Becky Garcia and Dr Sam Murphy are exploring potential bereavement interventions with infant bereaved mothers in hard to reach communities in Leicester and Luton.
Forms of Care is a project about the differing medical logics that are adopted during end of life and palliative care. In particular, the research will focus on ‘not doing’ as an active and often deliberate aspect of care. (http://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/formsofcare)
This is a scoping study by Professor Richard Holti and Dr Erica Borgstrom to understand how geriatric medicine and palliative care services work together in one hospital trust for patients on an Older Persons Unit ward who may be in their last year of life.
Kerry Jones (with Martin Robb) has undertaken a scoping review of men and loss following perinatal death. They are currently planning a bid (with Sam Murphy) to interview men and analyse about their experiences.
The Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care: a national framework for local action (2021-2026) provides guidance on how to improve palliative and end of life care and it is incorporated into the statutory guidance for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). A team (Erica Borgstrom, Claire Henry MBE, Joanne Jordan, and Una St Ledger) have conducted two projects examining how people understand and use the Ambitions. They have produced several reports and resources to support people who want to realise the Ambitions. The research was funded by NHS England/NHS Improvement and Marie Curie.
Visit the Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care website
Led by Prof Borgstrom at The Open University, this Marie Curie-funded project used data from a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership survey on palliative and end of life care to identify how social science and humanities perspectives can address public and professional concerns. The project identified five areas and produced a report to guide researchers and funders in future project development and decision-making.
We also have several PhD and Professional Doctoral students exploring issues such as but not limited to hospice at home, suicide, oncology curriculum, and remote bereavement support. Previous doctoral work has covered topics such as sexuality and young people with life-limiting conditions, the role of volunteers in hospice settings, and access to hospice end of life care for marginalised groups (a co-funded studentship with Willen Hospice). We are actively exploring other opportunities for co-funded studentships with partner organisations. If you are interested, please see further information on our Postgraduate pages.
email: erica.borgstrom@open.ac.uk