PHOTO: End-of-life planning can even include “send offs”. Photo: Sharon Bonthuys.
For many people, talking about death and dying is an uncomfortable subject – and a conversation that is very difficult to start. But this is changing thanks to progressive legislation, high profile specialist supporters, and a grassroots movement that aims to improve “death literacy” and start conversations about end-of-life planning all over the country.
August 8 was Dying To Know Day, an annual event now in its 11th year, which aims to improve death literacy and help reshape the way communities and individuals approach death, dying and end-of-life planning.
Dying to Know Day asks Australians of all ages and stages of life to ‘get dead set’ around the reality of death and dying, according to Karen (Kaz) Dawson, CEO of Community Care Northern Beaches (CCNB).
“By making important choices as individuals, we can create death-literate communities that offer quality, person-centred support and care we all need at the end-of-life,” she said…