Last Aid International has become an International Last Aid Movement that is committed to bringing Public Palliative Care Education, end-of-life education, and knowledge about serious illness, dying, death, and grief to communities around the world. It aims to encourage everyone to talk about these topics and to participate in palliative Care for everyone in need as part of a compassionate community.
Founder
PD Dr Georg Bollig developed the Last Aid concept in 2008. The first courses were taught in Norway, Germany and Denmark in 2014/2015. The ideas of Last Aid Courses for everyone and the Public Knowledge approach to Palliative care have since grown into an international movement.
Biography: Associate Professor PD Dr. med. Georg Bollig, PhD, MAS (Palliative Care), DEAA is a physician, researcher and social entrepreneur
After medical studies at the universities of Cologne, Vienna and Seattle he became a specialist in anaesthesiology, pain therapy and palliative care. He received a Master’s degree in Palliative Care and Organizational Ethics from the University of Klagenfurt/IFF Vienna. His PhD at the University of Bergen, Norway was about Palliative Care, ethical challenges and end-of-life decision-making in nursing homes. From 2016 to 2022 he has been working as senior consultant in Palliative Medicine at the University hospital of Southern Jutland and as Clinical Associate Professor in Palliative Care at the University of Southern Denmark. Currently he works as senior consultant in Palliative Medicine and head of Palliative Medicine at the Academic teaching hospital Helios Klinikum Schleswig in Germany. In addition to his clinical work Georg is Associate Professor in Palliative Medicine at the Department of Palliative Medicine, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Cologne, Germany. Georg has first published the idea of a Last Aid Course and is the leader of the International Last Aid working group and the Last Aid research Group International (LARGI). His main current research interests are public palliative care education (PPCE), Last Aid Courses and telepalliative care. He has received a number of recognitions and awards for his work with Last Aid Courses, e.g. prizes of the German Association for Palliative Medicine and the Order of Merit of Schleswig-Holstein.
International team and working group
Today, Last Aid International is made up of experts from many countries worldwide. The International Last Aid working group consists of 1-2 experts from every participating country. This group is responsible for consensus on the contents and curriculum of the wordwide standardized Last Aid Course.