Monday 8th to Sunday 14th May 2017 is Dying Matters Awareness Week, a campaign taking place across the country to encourage people to talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life.
This year, we’re asking What Can You Do? The aim is to get people more active in planning for dying and death, and helping support those who may need it in times of grief and bereavement.
Supporting Local Individuals and Families
Here at the Hospice, we believe in making each day your best day, which is why we do all we can for individuals and their families who come to us for support:
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- “Anything that lifts you out of the ordinary and the everyday, and gives your spirit joy and nurtures you spiritually. This is what is important to us when we provide support to our patients and their families.” – Saskia, Hospice Chaplain
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- Discover how Arifa, one of our doctors on rotation, was able to help one daughter say goodbye to her mother.
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- Our Digital Officer, Rich has also shared from his personal experience, how you can help a friend who’s dealing with grief.
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- Our Family and Carer Support Team has produced two booklets to about life after loss, if you’d like to read them, please click here.
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- Visit our Blogs section for the latest Dying Matters stories.
A Matter of Life and Death Festival
For this awareness campaign, the Hospice is working alongside BrumYODO, a local collective set up with the aim of helping the people of Birmingham to have more open and honest conversations about death and dying.
As part of Dying Matters Awareness Week, A Matter of Life and Death festival will host performances, debates, films and workshops at mac Birmingham and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Festival highlights include an interactive eat-along experience exploring the history of funeral food, a hands-on willow coffin weaving workshop, and a ‘Death Disco’.
To discover the full schedule for the week, please click here.
We’ll also be raising awareness on Facebook and Twitter, so please share our posts to let others know what’s going on.
