Schedule 9th International Degrowth Conference

Following the diagnosis of a stage four glioblastoma, a family member with pre-existing chronic illness was given three to six months to live. Over their final months they experienced a continual decrease in motor function, requiring increasing amounts of personal care and support in the home. During their final four months I moved in to provide this care, allowing them to live and die in their home surrounded by their close-knit community. With permission they gave me before they died, I hope to discuss the reflections and complications that arose during our time together. Of greatest significance was the failure of the United Kingdom’s policies to provide appropriate care and financial support during this difficult experience. Additionally, the nurses and carers that support patients are underpaid and overworked, making the provision of care unnecessarily strenuous. However, while this period presented many challenges, it became apparent that the opportunity I had to provide care for someone I love was a privilege that others are denied due to societal prioritisation of work and productivity over care and community. With these experiences in mind, this presentation will focus on how degrowth can contend with the realities of disabled people, chronic conditions and terminal illness. Using my experiences and disability theory I question whether degrowth can provide a better alternative to current approaches to palliative care, and, if so, how they would manifest according to degrowth theory.

Info

Day: 2023-09-01
Start time: 12:30
Duration: 00:15
Room: ZV-8-2
Type: Paper Presentation
Theme: Feminist, decolonial, anti-racist and anti-ableist ecologies

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