Vatican City, 24 February 2015 (VIS) –
The Pontifical Academy pro Vita will dedicate its upcoming general
assembly to end of life assistance to the elderly. The assembly,
which will take place in the New Synod Hall from 5 to 7 March, is the
21st to be held by this institution, and the official theme is
“Assisting the Elderly and Palliative Care”.
During the assembly, on 6 March, there
will be a workshop open to the public, especially scholars,
healthcare and pastoral workers, and students who are interested in
acquiring a deeper knowledge of the theme from a number of
viewpoints: theological-philosophical, ethical and medical, cultural
and social.
In the first session of the Workshop,
“Clinical care for the elderly at the end of life”, following a
brief general introduction to the theme by Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de
Paula, president of the Pontifical Academy pro Vita, a number of
specific issues will be considered, such as medical care for the
elderly with chronic degenerative illlnesses, the use and abuse of
analgesics in palliative care, nursing care for the terminally ill,
and clinical decision-making processes for the elderly at the end of
life.
The second session will be dedicated to
ethical and anthropological perspectives, and will focus on the
central role of relationships with the elderly in family, social and
hospital contexts, and guidelines for accompanying the elderly as
they near death, with respect for their dignity and avoiding any form
of abandonment or euthanasia.
The day will conclude with the analysis
of socio-cultural perspectives. The third session will be dedicated
to the spirituality of the elderly in later year, legal aspects of
the end of life, pastoral care and the role of the family, ending
with the question, “What is social solidarity?”.
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