The Departure Lounge A project to enable people to talk more openly about death, dying and our ageing population
- The Departure Lounge is an ambitious public engagement project run by the Academy of Medical Sciences in collaboration with creative agency The Liminal Space. It is being supported by the Health Foundation, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Wellcome.
- The project aims to enable people to talk more openly about death, dying and our ageing population. It will involve a pop-up installation, public events, and policy workshops.
- The project runs until December 2019, with the pop-up shop open in Lewisham for four weeks across May-June 2019.
The project’s origins lie in a recognition of the ageing population and a projected increase in the number of deaths between now and 2030. Health care costs are increasing as more people spend more years in ill-health at the end of life. Yet most people don’t understand the process, practicalities, or personal choices available in death. Most people say they want to die at home, but the majority die in hospital.
The Departure Lounge will be an innovative pop-up installation in a London high street that mimics the style of an airport, providing a space for people to talk to and question experts, family and friends, and increase their knowledge in achieving a ‘good death’ for themselves and their loved ones.
The pop-up will be open in Lewisham Shopping Centre from 10 May until 7 June 2019 with other public events and workshops taking place across the UK until December In addition, there will be a dedicated website and a digital and media campaign.
The aims are to:
- create physical and digital spaces where members of the public can learn about and share views on how research might support a good ‘death journey’
- empower people through access to current research into death and dying to develop understanding of what a ‘good death’ is and how to support it
- provide training and opportunities for biomedical and health researchers to share their research and connect with diverse publics of different ages
- undertake social research with visitors to inform policy activity connecting stakeholders, funders and decision-makers to catalyse action and change where necessary.
Contact details
Nick Hillier
Director of Communications, The Academy of Medical Sciences
Nick.Hillier@acmedsci.ac.uk
Work with us
We look for talented and passionate individuals as everyone at the Health Foundation has an important role to play.
View current vacanciesThe Q community
Q is an initiative connecting people with improvement expertise across the UK.
Find out more