Spiritual Needs and Philosophical Caregiving: An Introduction to the Engaged Philosophy of Dame Cicely Saunders

This show is devoted to the engaged philosophy of Dame Cicely Saunders (1918-2005), the pioneer of the modern hospice movement, a movement which includes a distinct philosophy of life which does not ignore, but fully incorporates the inevitability of death, suffering, and the need for meaning. As she writes in her essay The Philosophy of Terminal Care, “we are concerned with the nature of man, with living and dying, and with the whole man body, mind, and spirit…” Joining us today is Hannah Amos, the Perseverance Curator at the Florence Nightingale Museum (FNM) in London who conducted research for the special “In Focus” exhibit on Dame Saunders at the FNM, which opened on July 14, 2005, the 20th anniversary of her death, is currently on display at the FNM until March 1, 2026.