7 April 2017
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
And while people are happy to moan about having to hand over a large chunk of their hard-earned cash to the tax man, we are still very reticent to talk about death or dying.
But a group of individuals from across Shropshire are hoping to change all that with a special event which is being held in Shrewsbury as part of Dying Matters Week.
The public event will take place in the Square in Shrewsbury from 10am – 2pm on Friday 12 May and will involve the End of Life Care team from The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), Severn Hospice, Shropshire Council, local commissioners, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust and Shropshire Partners in Care.
It aims to make it easier for people to discuss death and dying by meeting professionals in a more relaxed environment.
Jules Lewis, End of Life Care Facilitator at SaTH, who is helping to organise the event, said: “There will be lots happening on the day. We will be holding a ‘talking about death and dying café’ where people can sit and have an informal chat about issues connected to death and dying and there will be cupcakes, crafts and a florist with us.
“We will be asking people how they would like to be remembered and what they want to do before they die.
“This is not about organisations arranging an event; it is about individuals coming together to talk about this very important part of life, which many still struggle to discuss. We will not be in uniform, as very often even that is seen as a barrier to people being able to talk openly and honestly.”
Plans for the event are still being finalised, and there may be a few surprises on the day.
Jules said: “Death and dying is very difficult to deal with, even for staff who work in hospitals and other healthcare settings, but we really hope people will take this opportunity to start a dialogue about it and start to normalise conversations about death.”