Demystifying Death Week 2024
Taking place across Scotland from 6-12 May, Demystifying Death Week is about shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland. We are encouraging people to get involved by holding in-person and online events that bring death, dying and bereavement into the limelight.
Below is a list of events registered so far - these pages will be updated over the coming weeks. If you are organising an event that you'd like us to feature, please get in touch.
Coffee Morning
Organised by No-one Dies Alone Ayrshire
Monday 6th May 11am-12am
The Fullerton Community Hub, Irvine
This event is open to the public.
Please join NODA Ayrshire for a relaxed, informal Coffee Morning with Tea/Coffee and refreshments. It's a chance to meet up in a welcoming environment, pick up some resources, and talk about death, dying and bereavement.
"Much Ado About Dying" Screening and Q&A with Simon Chambers - Glasgow Film Theatre
Organised by Cosmic Cat Films
6th May 2024, 5.30pm
Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose St, Glasgow G3 6RB
This event is open to the public.
Cosmic Cat Films are proud to launch the new film "Much Ado About Dying" in cinemas across Scotland to coincide with Demystifying Death Week.
The film is a gloriously eccentric and thought provoking look at what it means to live. The award-winning documentary follows long-retired actor David Newlyn Gale, living in an unsuitable flat, sustaining himself on cans of soup, keeping himself warm with a small army of electric heaters and battling a mice infestation with toothpaste. The film presents an intimate, occasionally funny and ultimately moving portrait of a solitary life and a quietly critical assessment of the inadequate resources available in the UK for a rapidly ageing population.
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Simon Chambers. The introduction and Q&A will be live captioned.
Book tickets here.
Pet Bereavement
Organised by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
Monday 6th May 2024, 6.30pm-7.30pm.
Taking place online (MS Teams)
This event is open to the public. Everyone is welcome.
For many people pets are family and so it is only natural to grieve their loss. Wendy Andrew founded the Scottish Pet Bereavement Counselling Service to help others recover from the death of animal companions.
During this session we will be talking about everything from the wealth of emotion that accompanies a decision to euthanise a pet, to speaking to children about the death of a pet. We will discuss some of the common feelings that people may experience and highlight different places where support is available. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions to our Wendy.
This session is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Pet Bereavement Counselling Service.
More information: https://www.nhsggc.scot/your-health/planning-for-care/events/
Register: https://link.webropol.com/ep/pb060524
Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash
Living our Dying
Organised by Lapidus Scotland and PlaySpace Publications
6th May 2024, 5pm
Zoom
This event is open to the public.
L i v i n g o u r D y i n g - is the title of a book based on 12 years of conversations about death in a small group in Glasgow called "Die-a-log"
"I love this beautiful book. It will not only help you to die a good death, it will strengthen you to live a good life" Richard Holloway
During research for the book - two short films were made: Die-a-log based on interviews with the founder members, and The Last Companion - based on a story about going to Switzerland to die.
On 6th May 5pm, these films were be shown on zoom. Following each film, there will be opportunity for questions and discussions in small groups, plus Q&A with filmmakers and members of the Die-a-log group. Dying is part of life. How we live our dying is fundamentally important. What do we do when someone we know has died? How do we make our own dying part of our lives? Living Our Dying offers a fuller engagement with death, so that life can be rich; it offers ways to engage with pain, fear, anxiety, and loss of dreams. Dying is part of life. How we live our dying is fundamentally important.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtduqspzguGdcO3-qkIt2kJdHFm2VYr6RF
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The above event is organised by Lapidus Scotland. Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief (an initiative of Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care, SPPC) created Demystifying Death Week to create opportunities to shine a light on the many and various issues associated with death, dying and bereavement in Scotland. You can read SPPC’s position on assisted dying and its evidence submitted to parliament by clicking here.
A Demystifying Death Event for Hairdressers & Barbers
Organised by St Columba's Hospice Care
Monday 6th May, 14.00 - 15.30
No17, 17 Boswall Road, Edinburgh
This event is open to hairdressers and barbers. Please call 01315511381 to book a free place.
A free event for hairdressers & barbers to help them deal with difficult conversations.
We know that hairdressers and barbers speak with dozens of people every week, often hearing people’s life stories, offering advice, and helping them to leave feeling (and looking!) better than when they arrived.
This free event is designed to help you to navigate these difficult conversations, and how to support someone who might be want to talk about grief, loss, death or bereavement.
Join us for a lovely buffet, coffee and conversations!
Spaces limited - please call 0131 551 1381 to book.
RSS