This National Palliative Care Week, Bendigo residents are encouraged to 'take time to talk' about death, dying and end life care

A new survey released by Palliative Care Victoria revealed Victorians were hesitant to talk about those complex topics, something Bendigo Health specialist palliative care service manager Alison Smith said wasn't surprising.

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The survey of 1000 Victorians showed that while in theory most respondents agreed it was important to talk openly about death and dying, in reality people rarely do it.

Ms Smith said talking openly about end of life care has always been a complex and difficult conversation for friends and family.

"This is a message that we have been trying to get out for a number of years now is to talk about what you want, what's important and how you want to spend the end of your life," she said.

"Some people are reluctant to talk about it because it can be quite a morbid thing to discuss.

"However what we found is that having those early discussions and putting them down on paper means that you can put it away and when it comes to that time and you need to look at end of life care, those decisions have already been discussed."

The survey revealed 46 per cent stated they had never or rarely spoken about death and dying to their friends and family over the past 12 months.

Women were more likely to speak to their loved ones about death or dying, with 27.3 per cent of women discussing the topics more than five times in the past 12 months compared to 23 per cent of men.

Ms Smith hoped by the survey being released, it would help start those difficult discussions.

"It's a difficult decision to make and we often try to guide people to start that conversation with relatives," she said.

"Palliative care isn't just nurses, we have social workers, experts that are part of those discussions.

"There is so much support out there."

Palliative Care Victoria chief executive Violet Platt said the data showed the need for more open conversations and greater education around topics like death, grief and palliative care within the community.

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"Research has shown that raising awareness and helping people understand the importance of palliative care is necessary to ensure that they can talk about their wishes for end of life," she said.

To assist Victorians with talking to their family and friends about end of life, Palliative Care Victoria has developed free resources that are available to download from its website, to help people start discussions with their loved ones.

You can download the Taking Time to Talk event resources and conversation starters via the Palliative Care Victoria website here.

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