good life, good death, good grief

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Time to Demystify Death

Demystifying Death Week is underway (2-6 May), shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland.

Why?

People usually want to do the right thing when someone they know is caring, dying or grieving. But often they can feel awkward offering help, or worry about making things worse.

People can have questions about serious illness or death. But often they don't know who to ask.

Making plans when you’re healthy means there is less to think about when you’re ill. But often people put off making plans until it is too late.

Demystifying Death week is about giving people knowledge, skills and opportunities to plan and support each other through death, dying, loss and care.

Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief

The week was initiated by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief – a charity-led collaboration of more than 1000 individuals and organisations that want Scotland to be a place where people can be open about and plan for death, dying and bereavement.

“If people know a bit more about death and dying, they’re in a better position to take control of their own situation, support others, make plans and have informed decisions about what they’d want when the time comes.” said Rebecca Patterson, Director of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief.

“Sometimes people worry about things, like what to say to someone who’s been bereaved, or being refused CPR. Perhaps having more information about these could help people worry less.

“There are lots of resources out there that provide information, but sometimes it is difficult to know where to look. We want to make this information easier for people to get at, and we’ll be sharing a lot of it this week using the hashtag #DemystifyDeath.”

This will include information on the kinds of preparations people can make if they are worried their health may get worse, for example by making a Power of Attorney and talking to the people close to them about an anticipatory care plan. They will also be sharing tips on how ordinary people can provide informal support to a friend or family member who is caring, dying or grieving, and places people can go for more formal support.

New resources

The 3rd May will see the launch of a suite of resources to help workplaces become more ‘bereavement-friendly. The new resources were produced by the Scottish Bereavement Charter Group, and Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief, and include:

  • A Bereavement-Friendly Workplaces Toolkit with information to help employers develop helpful workplace practices relating to bereavement.
  • A Charter Mark that gives recognition to employers working to become more bereavement-friendly.
  • An Employer’s Guide to the Bereavement Charter.
  • A leaflet ‘What to do when a colleague has been bereaved’.
  • A checklist of ‘things to do’ to become a bereavement-friendly workplace.

Events

Various online and face-to-face events are taking place during the week, for example, in Dundee Coffin Club Caledonia Dundee will hold evening sessions providing a safe space to allow people to learn about and to discuss their options surrounding their end-of-life decisions and funeral planning. Battlefield Community Project in Glasgow invite members of the community to participate in creating a memorial strawberry patch. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde are holding a week-long programme of online events for staff and members of the public covering topics from preparing for hospital to making a Will.

A full list of events is available here: DD Week 2022 Events Listing

“We’re often told that death is a ‘taboo’ – something that people don’t want to talk about.’ said Rebecca Patterson, Director of GLGDGG. ‘But surveys show that in Scotland most people are actually fairly comfortable talking about death. Perhaps the right opportunities just don’t present themselves. Demystifying Death week is a chance to open up about death, air these topics and become a bit better at supporting each other through these difficult times.”

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Before I die I want to ...
Bereavement Charter for Scotland
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