A new look at the end of life of elderly people ERC lecture by Professor Lara Pivodic: "Have we lost track of time?"
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel invites to the ERC inaugural lecture by Professor Lara Pivodic, Professor of Ageing and End of Life at the VUB and UGent. In her lecture, she poses a fundamental question: how do we look at the end of life of elderly people today, missing the complexity and diversity of this final stage of life?
The end of life of the elderly is often approached as a medical phase, while in reality it is a long and profound process of physical, social, emotional and existential changes. With her European Research Council (ERC)-funded research project TRAJECT, Professor Pivodic explores how older people experience their final stage of life, and how factors such as health, relationships, environment and life story help shape that experience.
The lecture offers a new perspective on ageing, dying and palliative care, and touches on broader societal questions about dignity, care and what a "good death" means.
Practical
Tuesday 2 June 2026 17:00 - 19:00 VUB Health Campus Jette Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Jette Building A - Auditorium B Velkeniers
The lecture will be held in English.
About Lara Pivodic
Professor Lara Pivodic is Professor of Aging and End of Life at the VUB and UGent and co-chair of the Aging & Palliative Care research programme of the End-of-Life Care Research Group. Her research is situated at the intersection of medical and social sciences and focuses on health, well-being and care trajectories of older people in the last phase of life. Contact details Prof. Lara Pivodic: Lara.Pivodic@vub.be
Tineke Sonck
