Huang Chenxi

Professor Huang Chenxi, Deputy Dean of the School of Social Development, East China Normal University, made a speech titled “International Experience and Domestic Practice of the Policies Supporting Family Carers for Seniors at Home”. She said, family carers are providers of aged care service and demanders of supporting service. At present, many countries and regions have established a relatively rich family caregiver service support policy, but in China, the supporting policies for family carers are presently at the explorative stage, which features the lack of a legal basis, prominent contradictions between the supply and demand of carer services, and obvious traits of complementary welfare. So, China should improve policy systems and service content, provide family carers with economic assistance and supporting services, and secure implementation of relevant policies.

Paula Smith

Paula Smith, Director of Studies MSc Health Psychology, University of Bath, gave a speech titled “Family Carers and end of life care: A community perspective”. She introduced the challenges that population aging in the UK brings to social care services and families, and, through discussing family carer related policies and research evidence, explored the solutions to loneliness and social isolation.

Joanne Wilson

Dr. Joanne Wilson, honorary research fellow and Macmillan Consultant Nurse Palliative Care, University of Bath, Royal Free London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, delivered a speech titled “Complexities of providing palliative care and end of life care in the UK setting”. He described the context of caring for patients who have palliative and end of life care needs from a population basis in the UK, and briefed the history of the hospice movement. He argues that despite the long history of hospice care for the dying, and the focus of current national policy for choice and end of life care at home, hospitals and care homes play a vital part in the provision of end of life care.