Maybe that is why the posters for Dying Matters Awareness Week 2016 carry the reassurance that “talking about dying won’t make it happen”.
We all know that everybody dies and we are generally rational enough to know that we will all experience bereavement and face our own mortality at some point. But as simple as this concept is, I think this little statement is something that we need to hear.
There are many reasons why people may be anxious about discussing death, the idea that one might ‘tempt fate’ doesn’t need to be one.
Dying Matters Awareness Week has been running since March 2010 and has grown as more and more hospices and other groups working in end of life care challenge the taboo around death and dying.
The aim is to confront the unnecessary and often stressful issues that can arise when we are faced with our own mortality – when we have the time to discuss them thoughtfully.
Whether it’s the comfort of knowing that the treatments we want or (as is equally important) do not want have been recorded, or telling those closest to us the type of funeral that we would like – the potential discomfort of starting these conversations is massively outweighed by the reassurance they offer patients and their loved ones.
Dying Matters Awareness Week 2016 takes place from 9 to 15 May and will be all about having a #BigConversation.
At the recent launch delegates heard about setting up “Before I Die…” boards where people can share things from their bucket lists, making sure your digital legacy will be handled the way that you want and how death cafes have created a forum to discuss concerns and attitudes to death.
The event was chaired by Tony Bonser, trustee of the National Council for Palliative Care, which leads the Dying Matters coalition.
Tony reminded us that only 4% of people who die in hospitals have an advance care plan, but hospital is where half of deaths occur – or some 250,000 deaths every year. That’s 240,000 families who may have faced difficult decisions around their loved one’s care that they were not prepared for.
Decisions and issues that can be addressed long before they become critical, at a time when people are able carefully consider them. Decisions that could have been covered in a #BigConversation.
There are lots of ways you can get involved and run your own Dying Matters event. To see the presentations from the launch, order resources or just find out more, visit the Dying Matters Awareness Week website.
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