Skip to content

Why talk about death?

Here are a few reasons.

 

Both people who are grieving, and those who are suffering with terminal illness, can experience a large degree of isolation and misunderstanding. —Dying Matters 

In the West, the final phases of life have become less familiar to modern generations, and the care of the elderly and the ill have been largely outsourced to institutions and professionals. — Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

High income countries, like Sweden, evidence a higher number of deaths within hospitals than at home, although national surveys suggest most people would rather receive home care and die at home. — Journal of Palliative and Supportive Care

Many minority groups have less access to knowledge and resources that could link them to better care at the end of life, often due to language and cultural barriers in institutions and care networks. — Care Quality Commission

 

Talking about death can better help us plan for life. It increases our likelihood to ascertain good care for ourselves and others at the onset of terminal illness and decline. It also helps families cope with grief, and feel prepared to face death when it comes.

Starting simple conversations can make a big difference in our society and in our lives personally. The first step to more compassionate care before and at the end of life starts with being curious about what death and dying mean. We at Death Ed would like to support that curiosity, and create spaces where all people can learn more, and deliberate on death and dying across borders.

Please see our storybook project, which connects diverse citizens, community leaders and healthcare professionals in discussions about death, dying, and what matters in the end.

What we do

Death Ed is a public health outreach project based at the Institute for Palliative Care in Lund, Sweden. Our goal is to get people talking more about death and dying and create a culture around end-of-life which is less stigmatising, isolating, and fear-provoking. We believe that once we start talking about death more, we can feel more informed and empowered to make decisions and ascertain good care at the end of life.

Livsviktiga Samtal om Döden

Vår senaste evenemang om samtal vid livets slut

Många som drabbas av svår sjukdom eller sorg vittnar om att släkt, vänner och arbetskamrater undviker ämnet och håller sig borta.  Vad är det som gör att sorg och sjukdom lätt blir tabu i vardagen? Skulle det vara lättare om du hade några invanda ord att ta till? Om du visste vad som verkligen betyder något för den som har det svårt? Kom och var med oss på en interaktiv workshop. Vi delar med oss av våra kunskaper och erfarenheter av svåra samtal och människors behov i kris. Såklart bjuder vi på fika!   Vi lär ut några av de verktyg som vi använder när vi utbildar och tränar sjukvårdspersonal. Den som vill kan även pröva själv med hjälp av skådespelare av Pyramidteatern.