Do you find it difficult to have discussions about death and dying?
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Dying to Know Day aims to shine a light on the uncomfortable topic of death, helping people open up about what has long been considered to be a “taboo” subject.
Remembrance Parks Central Victoria will be a holding an exhibition which highlights the importance of having honest discussions with loved ones about death, dying and bereavement.
RPCV customer experience assistant Rachel Trimble said discussions surrounding death and dying were “ not everyday topics”.
“Our aim is to generate more discussions within the community around end of life planning and care, things that not a lot of people really want to talk about,” Ms Trimble said.
“They’re important topics to discuss because when it comes to the time when people have to deal with it, they don’t really know where to start.
“However, by having the discussions before it’s really needed, when the time does come they’re well prepared for it.”
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Helen Bramley-Jackson is a holistic death doula based in central Victoria and will be holding a discussion at the Dying to Know Day event.
“There is a group of us in central Victoria who are working as a team to educate and inform people that there are alternatives to the more traditional services that have been around in the way we care for people who are dying,” Ms Bramley-Jackson said.
“Particularly now the government has found people are interested in creating plans and decisions in regards to what they would like to have as a funeral service or choices around how their death is celebrated.”
A death doula’s role involves supporting individuals and families through the dying process.
During her discussion on Wednesday Ms Bramley-Jackson will outline how death doulas can support families through a process that “can be quite traumatic”.
“There are a lot of people who are frightened to bring up the subject, as death is looked at by quite a few people as a taboo subject,” Ms Bramley-Jackson said.
“Previously it hasn’t been talked about and people now want to have more choice in the matter.
“And as the generations change, so do the attitudes towards death.”
RPCV will be holding the free Dying to Know Day expo on August 8 from 9:30am-2:30pm at the Eaglehawk Cemetery Chapel, with guest speakers, informational stalls, crematorium and memorialisation tours, and other activities.
