Death doula Carolyn Vaughan says community support will help people talk about death and dying. Photo: Eileen Mulligan.
Illawarra communities are being encouraged to start conversations around death and dying to help break down the stigma associated with end of life.
Dying to Know Day, on Thursday 8 August, calls on Australians to lean on community support when planning for end of life, and to encourage people to consider and share their own wishes for their final days and funeral plans.
In the Illawarra, Death Cafes will foster conversation at events at Warrawong and Corrimal libraries on Friday 2 August and Monday 26 August, while COORDINARE Public Health Network and Shellharbour City Council will host Let’s Talk About Death and Dying at Shellharbour Civic Centre on Wednesday 7 August.
Illawarra death doula Carolyn Vaughan said death was over-medicalised and conversations were often left to healthcare providers.
“Our preconceived ideas around death can impact our approach to end of life, and people often feel ill-equipped to act or start a conversation,” she said.
“It’s important that Australians lean on community support to improve their own death literacy. Death literacy is the knowledge, compassion and practical skills that enable supportive action and active decision-making around someone’s end-of-life choices.
“By building community capacity to facilitate conversations around end-of-life planning and care, we can help ensure every person has access to the resources and tools they need to take action.
“This can take shape in a variety of different ways, such as workshops or casual talks.
“Having a safe space to foster conversations and share stories with each other will, in turn, help Australians feel inspired about their own wishes for end of life.”
Research by Proveda, the organisation behind Dying to Know Day, found that although 87 per cent of Australians believed it was important to do some end-of-life planning, only 35 per cent had taken action.
Proveda community programs manager Jessie Williams said it was important to recognise the powerful role community could play when planning and implementing approaches to death and dying.
“While most Australians recognise the importance of planning for end of life, many individuals and communities still face barriers when it comes to understanding what this means, taking action or starting a conversation around death and dying,” she said.
“This often leads to end-of-life experiences being misaligned with an individual’s values, preferences or wishes, because they simply don’t know what is available or what they can request or expect.
“Building communities that can foster these types of conversation … will help individuals feel supported in talking about their personal wishes for their own final arrangements, and can help break down the misconception that end-of-life planning is something to be done alone.”
Let’s Talk About Death and Dying, Shellharbour Civic Centre from 10 am – 1 pm, Wednesday 7 August. For information email [email protected] or phone 0458 549 546; click here for bookings. Death Cafe at Warrawong Library, 2 – 4 pm on Friday, 2 August, click here for bookings. Death Cafe at Corrimal Library, 2:30 – 4:30 pm on Monday 26 August, click here for bookings. Inquiries about Death Cafe events to Carolyn Vaughan, 0418 480 690, or Jordan Lukey, 0421 258 504.
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