Dying Matters Week 2017

As members of the Boomer Generation lots of us will hope that we have many, many years “left in the tank”.

But unfortunately, as time goes by we all become more aware of life’s mortality – usually it’s when our parents pass on and we realise that we are the “older generation” that some thoughts turn to the implications of death. It’s a subject that people shy away from but it is important to face up to it, and try and face up to it positively.

…we all become more aware of life’s mortality

Image by Katerina Pavlickova via Unsplash

This week – 8^th to 14^th May 2017 – is Dying Matters Awareness Week 2017. It is an annual event (this is the 8^thyear) aimed at raising awareness of dying, death and bereavement. Each year it has grown in size and impact, with more and more people getting involved. There are hundreds of events across the country, reaching out to thousands of people, with a great deal of media coverage, including social media. Have you attended any local events? Many hospices and national charities like Macmillan and Marie Curie will have been hosting initiatives.

Examples of these include: funeral home open days and cemetery tours; stalls in shopping centres and supermarkets; Will writing workshops; Walks and ceremonies; coffee mornings; and training for carers, medical professionals and volunteers.

There is a dedicated website for the whole “Dying Matters” movement, which is definitely worth a look: http://www.dyingmatters.org/

This includes where events are taking place during Awareness Week. Now, there is a strong possibility that when you are reading this article Awareness Week will have come to an end. Please do not let this deter you from going on to the website and seeing what is on offer. After all, the subject of dying is something that is relevant the whole year through, and not just for one week.

If you won’t talk to other people about dying and what you would like to happen at your own funeral then you might want to have a conversation with yourself on this very important topic. In which case I suggest that you click on to the “Looking Forward To Your Funeral” page of this website, where you can consider a book which enables you, with some gentle humour, to record exactly what you want. If you don’t write these things down then no-one might get to know, because it’s something that people do not like to ask. I know I am biased, because I am the book’s author – but I was prompted to write it (with my son) because of my personal experiences.