What is Dying Matters?
Dying Matters is a campaign driven by Hospice UK to create an open culture in which we’re comfortable talking about death, dying and grief.
We feel this video is a great place to start Dying is not as bad as you think’ | BBC Ideas – YouTube
If Dying Matters – then it matters at work too
The theme for this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week 2023 is Dying Matters at work.
Stigma around grieving, and a lack of understanding about what it means to be unwell and what happens when you’re dying, mean that too many of us are struggling to cope when faced with life’s inevitable challenges. And the workplace is no exception.
We spend so much of our lives at work – and we shouldn’t have to hide our experiences of death and dying from our colleagues, our peers, or our bosses. We want to create open and compassionate society where we are comfortable facing the realities of dying, death and grief.
By talking to those around you, you can help us make sure that workplaces are properly set up to support people who are ill, who are caring for those around them, or who have lost someone close to them.
How to get involved
Anyone can get involved in Dying Matters Awareness Week – whether with friends and family, with your company or in the community.
All you need to do is start a conversation. It might feel a little daunting but we have lots of resources below to help you start talking and normalising the topic. We promise it is easier than you might think.
Thank you for helping to break the stigma and create a more open, compassionate society.
Starting the conversations
-
Test your compassionate superpowers
Take this short quiz to discover how you can have meaningful and compassionate conversations with other people at work, in the community or at home.
-
Dying Matters Podcasts
Listen to 16 episodes from Hospice UK's Dying Matters podcast, discussing everything from the importance of music at the end of life to tackling racism in palliative care.
-
Help with planning ahead
This Planning Ahead tool will lead you, step by step, to think about your own values and the things that matter most to you in life and in dying.
-
Books to help with death and griefHere's a selection of books recommended by Hospice UK to help support
-
Tips for being a good listenerSome people find it hard to talk about death, dying and grieving. The way we respond when people bring up the subject can make a big difference.
-
How to talk about death and dyingThere’s no perfect way to talk about dying, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier.
-
Talking to someone who is grievingIt can be difficult to know what to say when someone loses a loved one but it’s usually better to do something than say nothing.
