A well-attended closing event
Some 200 researchers and interested members of the public attended the closing event of NRP 67. The presentations and discussions focused on the results and recommendations that had emerged from the research programme.
On 21 November 2017, the synthesis report of the Steering Committee of NRP 67 was presented in the context of the event. Approximately 200 persons attended the event in the “Berner Eventfabrik”.
The members of the Steering Committee presented individual recommendations from the synthesis report and invited selected researchers to talk about their results and experiences after five years of research. It was obvious that a relationship of trust had developed between the researchers and the Steering Committee over the years. The researchers presented informative examples of the varied and complex situations experienced by persons at the end of their life. It became clear that NRP 67 explored a number of issues that had never been the subject of academic research before. The programme lays the groundwork for further investigations in a very multi-facetted area of research.
Subsequently, representatives of politics and practice discussed the results and ideas emerging from NRP 67. Among them were National Councillor Maja Ingold, Councillor of States Joachim Eder as well as Jürg Schlup, president of the Swiss Medical Association FMH. They confirmed that NRP 67 was highly relevant and were convinced that its results would play an important role in practice and policy-making in the coming years.
After an aperitif and dinner, it was time for satirist and psychoanalyst Peter Schneider, who had been given carte blanche. He shared his thoughts on dying and the way we organise dying under the title "Last words".
A video recording of his talk is available online. Video: Peter Schneider's "Last words"