Did you know that 45% of people die without a will and 90% never tell anybody their end of life wishes? And 80% would prefer to die at home but less than 20% actually do?
It’s statistics like these that prompted the establishment of Dying to Know Day (August 8), a day when Australians are invited to talk to each other about those scary but inescapable things that we often push to the back of our mind.
I will be hosting a stall about Dying to Know Day at the Farmers’ Markets in Armidale on Sunday August 2.
I will be offering information and conversations about death and dying, and books to browse and buy, including my own A Hospital Bed at Home: Family stories of caregiving from diagnosis to death.
Below are the links to some of the things I will be talking about:
Click to access ADCA-WEB-2014-My-Health-My-Future.pdf
http://advancecareplanning.org.au/resources/new-south-wales
The Bottom Drawer Book by Lisa Herbert, the DIY life after death action plan, and a list of other books I recommend FURTHER READING
My article about the home death movement in Australia
And these controversial articles about end-of-life care
Dying to Know Day is an initiative of the Groundswell Project, a group dedicated to bringing to life conversations and community actions around death, dying and bereavement.
The idea is to encourage people to develop their death literacy; make their end of life plans such as a will and advance care plan; share these wishes with their families; get informed about end of life and death care options such as dying at home, home and community-led funerals, and natural burial; and be better equipped to support family and friends experiencing death, dying and bereavement.
For more information, see www.dyingtoknowday.org
Janene Carey 