Professor Merryn Gott :: British Society of Gerontology

You are here: Home > Plenary Speakers > Professor Merryn Gott

Professor Merryn Gott

Professor Merryn Gott, Professor of Health Sciences and co-Associate Head of Research in the School of Nursing, the University of Auckland is the third of our plenary speakers to be introduced. Professor Gott studied Geography at the University of Oxford before moving to Sheffield University to do a PhD in Gerontology. Subsequent moves to research posts in palliative care, stemmed from an interest gained from voluntary work as a teenager at Mildmay Mission Hospital, a hospice for people with HIV/AIDS in London. Professor Gott has developed a programme of research exploring the intersection between ageing and dying, with a particular focus on equity. On moving to Aotearoa New Zealand she founded the Te Ārai Palliative Care and End of Life Research Group who undertake a range of projects with the support of the Te Ārai Kahui Kaumātua (Māori elder advisors) to explore palliative and end of life care through an equity lens.

Plenary Title:

'Ageing, equity and the end of life'.

Brief Abstract of Plenary Session:

It seems self-evident that the social conditions of our living - and ageing - impact our dying. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the intersecting social determinants of end-of-life experience in palliative care research, practice and policy. This is despite mounting evidence that palliative care is inequitable in terms of access to care, organization of care, and ultimately end of life experience. Older people remain disadvantaged in all respects, with their deaths continuing to hold less social value than those of middle aged and younger people, and a homogeneity of experience by age assumed.

In this presentation I will draw on research we have been conducting in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore themes of equity, ageing and palliative and end of life care. I will argue that practice and policy change must be underpinned by the diverse voices and lived experiences of older people and will present some of the creative arts-based resources we have developed to amplify these. I will finish by arguing that palliative care would benefit from further attention by gerontologists.

BSG Annual Conference