Peter Speck

Hon Senior Lecturer, Palliative Care, Cicely Saunders Institute King's College, London (UK)

All Religions should support an holisitic approach to care needs, physical, mental and spiritual, at all ages. Such needs will include supporting the dignity and quality of life as perceived by the individual – irrespective of their beliefs or non-belief. This is especially important as people age and experience frailty or complexity of need. Faith communities can become ‘champions’ for an holistic, multi-professional, approach which helps de-fuse the taboos around death and dying. The global outreach of the Charter provides opportunity to raise awareness of palliative care and challenge leaders of countries, and policy makers, to give greater attention to the needs of older people as they age and review their provision of palliative care. It also can enhance understanding of palliative care skills that are available to address many of the complex needs that can arise as people approach the end of their life.