Centre for Open Thanatology

A Time to Live - The Open University Twelve remarkable stories from people who have found a way to celebrate life and make the most of the time they have left.

Watch exclusive videos from people who took part in the A Time to Live documentary connect.open.ac.uk/health-wellb... #ThanatologyThursday

Bright orange background featuring a quote from an OU student about SCONUL Access that reads: "My local university library has given me a consistent place to study which is easy to focus in and makes me feel part of a wider academic community. It allows me to study with friends who attend the local brick university so that we can study together."

Studying at a distance doesn’t mean studying alone! 💻👥

With SCONUL Access, #OUstudents can use university libraries across the UK & Ireland. 📚

Study alongside others and feel more connected to a wider learning community, closer to where you live... 👇 https://ow.ly/LboH50YmQrz

The Open University

Recent publication from Ned Redmore and colleagues - Exploring England's Palliative and End‐of‐Life Care Systems for People With Learning Disabilities: The Perspectives of Senior Health and Social Care Professionals and Commissioners oro.open.ac.uk/107927/ #ThanatologyThursday

What books about death or grief would you recommend to a friend? #WorldBookDay

Doing Death Research: Interviews and Career Reflections with Death Studies Scholars This book brings together illuminating interviews with the most influential scholars who have shaped the interdisciplinary field of death studies. From sociological explorations to psychological frame...

New edited available for pre-order! Doing Death Research: Interviews and Career Reflections with Death Studies Scholars
www.routledge.com/Doing-Death-...

The Open University The Open University is pleased to offer a fully-funded, four-year studentship for the project ‘Co-Creation of Creative Writing Interventions for acute care, hospice and palliative care environments’.T...

Apply for - AHRC Doctoral Focal Award: Lles, ‘Co-Creation of Creative Writing Interventions for acute care, hospice and palliative care environments’. Closing date 27 March. university.open.ac.uk/employment/a...

Congratulations on a successful viva!!!

Palliative care, Learning disability services, end of life care, Dapple Project | end of life care for People with a LEarning disability. ​DAPPLE means: Developing effective service models for Adult Palliative and end of life care for People with a LEarning disability. It is a three year research project run by Kingston University,…

Several of our Centre members are part of the DAPPLE project - Developing effective service models for Adult Palliative and end of life care for People with a LEarning disability. You can find out more, including accessing the project blog, via www.dappleproject.com #ThanatologyThursday

Great to see @openthanatology.bsky.social colleagues talking about these issues! What else would you add to the discussion?

Ever wonder about words like ‘acceptance’, ‘surrender', ‘denial’ or ‘resistance’ in relation to death and its aftermath? Jane McCarthy and colleagues wrote about this in their new book chapter. Find out more via the link and contact Jane for more info: oro.open.ac.uk/108232/ #ThanatologyThursday

Open Thanatology Research Group - Mapping the Humanities Open Thanatology is the Open University’s interdisciplinary research group for the study and education of death, dying, loss and grief across the life course. Formally renamed in 2020, the group…

Did you know you can find us on the Mapping the Arts and Humanities tool? Even though we cover more than Arts and Humanities, it's great to be included! Check it out here: www.humanities.org.uk/infrastructu... #ThanatologyThursday

Looking to apply for a postdoctoral fellowship? Want to work with others interested in death, dying, loss or bereavement? Get in touch! The Centre for Open Thanatology is growing its postdoc membership. Let us know what funding & topic you are interested in. Email: Open-Thanatology-Admin@open.ac.uk

The Open University

This time last year, members from our Centre were launching the 'To Know Dying Report' tos shape research in palliative and end of life care. Find out more and get a copy here: oro.open.ac.uk/102758/
#ThanatologyThursday

Letter EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – NURSING PROGRAMME 27.01.2026 The Open University Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA 27th January 2026 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – NURSING PROGRAMME ...

As part of making changes to the nursing teaching, The Open University is inviting people with experience of using the UK health system to share their views over the next few months. More info and who to contact: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Early widowhood: navigating a way through grief You or someone else you know may be experiencing grief as a widow or widower and finding a way to cope through loss. In this article, Hazel Carter, who cared for her husband through motor neurone ...

This #ThanatologyThursday we're sharing a short article by Hazel Carter - Early widowhood: navigating a way through grief.

Letter EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – NURSING PROGRAMME 27.01.2026 The Open University Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA 27th January 2026 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST – NURSING PROGRAMME ...

As part of making changes to the nursing teaching, The Open University is inviting people with experience of using the UK health system to share their views over the next few months. More info and who to contact: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Finding your way after the death of a significant person Grief is personal, shaped by culture, identity and experience. Bereavement professional Remi Martin reflects on loss, resilience, and navigating life after losing a significant person, especially ...

Remi recently shared her experiences of grief in this article: Finding your way after the death of a significant person. Maybe you'll find it useful to read this #ThanatologyThursday

Palliative Care and Hospice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives over the Decades This book offers a comprehensive collection of seminal research into palliative care and hospice, providing an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of end-of-life care,...

Available for pre-order now from Routledge - Palliative Care and Hospice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives over the Decades. Edited by myself, Bethan Michael-Fox & Arnar Arnason. www.routledge.com/Palliative-C...

Study with the OU? There's still time to share your feedback in the student survey. Check your module site for more information or ask your tutor(s).

Ancient ideas: where does the soul go? Humans have grappled with the question of what happens after death for millennia. Across the ancient world, many different cultures developed their own answers and underworlds. The Ancient Greeks ...

Ancient ideas: where does the soul go? - find out more in this short article by Stephanie Holton. #ThanatologyThursday

Are you currently a student with The Open University? Check your module site for an invitation to take part in the NSS (National Student Survey). The survey helps the university understand what is working well and what can be improved.

Are you currently a student with The Open University? Check your module site for an invitation to take part in the NSS (National Student Survey). The survey helps the university understand what is working well and what can be improved.

An introduction to death, dying and grief Explore interesting and challenging ideas around death, dying and grief. This free course, An introduction to death, dying and grief, invites you to think more deeply about death and dying and ...

New year and wanting to learn something new? Try our short course on 'An introduction to death, dying and grief' on OpenLearn for free! #ThanatologyThursday

There will be a pause in our messages due to the university closure period over December and early January. We hope that such pauses can help members rest, relax, and rejoice - and we hope that you all, too, can enjoy a break! Happy Holidays! #ThanatologyThursday

This #ThanatologyThursday we're highlighting a co-authored article that one of our members (Beth) contributed to - From Writing to Doing: Strategies for Approaching Loss, Dying and Grief in Auto/Biographical Writing. oro.open.ac.uk/103894/

Guess what’s back????

OpenLiving Lab at The Open University Digital Humanities allows scholars to approach old problems with new means, or to ask new questions that could not have been asked with the traditional means of humanistic enquiry. Whatever the approa...

Welcome to the official account for the OpenLiving Labs! We are a #citizenscience and #nature restoration project @ #OpenUniversity campus.

Please add us to the starter packs, @openuniversity.bsky.social and @oulibrary.bsky.social! Much appreciated 🌼🦦🦋🌳

OLL website: openliving-lab.open.ac.uk

Open Thanatology playlist Playlist · Samantha Archer · 81 items · 12 saves

Have you checked out the Open Thanatology Playlist yet? What songs would you add? Let us know in the comments or via DM. #ThanatologyThursday

These are the songs I've chosen to help me prepare for dying Music can evoke powerful memories and offers a sense of normality for people dealing with illness or death.

One of our members, Sam Murphy, was quoted in this article 'The songs I've chosen to help me prepare for dying' by the BBC. What songs would you choose? #ThanatologyThursday

Supporting Bereaved Children in the Primary Classroom: Helping Children Process Death, Grief and Loss Children experience a range of emotions during their time in primary school; however, bereavement is both unique and challenging. This book seeks to enable adults working with children to be prepared…

Today's the last day of National Grief Awareness Week. Our reading recommendation today - Supporting Bereaved Children in the Primary Classroom: Helping Children Process Death, Grief and Loss. Co-authored by one of our members, Poppy Gibson. www.routledge.com/Supporting-B...
#grief #griefawareness