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Hospice urges people to talk about death
08/05/2024
A national Dying Matters campaign is running this week
Healthcare staff at Katharine House Hospice are urging people to talk about death and dying, as part of a national bid to improve palliative care.
In support of this week’s national Dying Matters campaign, Katharine House is joining forces with hospices across the country to encourage communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them.
“The way we talk about Dying Matters” is the theme of the Dying Matters campaign this year. It focuses on the language people use around death and dying – specifically between healthcare professionals and patients, their carers and their families.
The hospice’s community team recently hosted a symposium for local palliative care staff, discussing the conversations they have around death and dying. This included how they talk to children and how families of dying people can be supported.
Katharine House is using Dying Matters to highlight its online End-of-life and Palliative Care resources, which aim to answer all the questions a person may have if they or their loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Mary Walding, Lead Specialist Nurse for Palliative Care for Katharine House and Sobell House Hospices, said that talking about death with loved ones is never easy, but having honest and transparent conversations about death and dying could help people feel informed, supported and empowered.
“The more we talk about death, the less scary it is – it happens to us all and we can’t avoid it, but those people whose relatives have been able to say the important things they want to say them, can die more peacefully and their relatives always have those words to remember.
“I would never say ‘let’s talk about death’ but I would listen for what people are telling me. I might ask ‘what’s most important to you?’ and see where the conversation leads us.
“Talking about dying won’t make it happen, won’t make it happen faster, but it will allow people the chance to say what is important.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam