Talking about Dying Matters in Social Care

For Dying Matters Awareness Week (6-12 May 2024), Hospice UK is encouraging us all to get talking about death, dying and bereavement. You can find some great resources to use in your organisation or with the people you support here: Dying Matters Resources | Hospice UK

Death affects us all, but it’s not always easy to talk about Have you thought about the kind of care you’d like if you were very ill? What kind of funeral you want? How you would like to be remembered? Those working in social care can play a major role in opening up important conversations about life and death, to help others to be prepared and access the services they might need as they approach end-of-life.

The Oxfordshire Palliative Care Network has recently run a pilot programme with a small number of providers in the county to explore creative ways of talking about dying, death, and bereavement. The pilot engaged service users and staff within 3 different community groups: residential care homes, learning disability support, and a sixth form college. One care home manager reflected, ‘we were grateful to be given the time and space to talk about death and being able to be honest about fears and plans in a safe space.’ If you would like to find out more about the project, please contact the Network Manager, David Savage, at dsavage1@helenanddouglas.org.uk.

We’d also like to hear from anyone working in any aspect of social care to find out what end-of-life support would be useful in the future. Please take a moment to answer three questions.

Questions - please put comments below

In your social care role, what issues relating to end-of-life have you had to deal with (these might include issues of life-limiting illness, palliative care, dying, death, or bereavement)?

Thinking about the end-of-life issues you have dealt with in your social care role, were there particular challenges you faced? Were there positive opportunities, approaches and experiences?

What could help you better support the people in your care to think about, talk about, and manage matters of dying, death, and bereavement?