10/10 PEOPLE DIE AND AUSTRALIAN’S AREN’T READY!

Doctors die differently. It’s a fact. Usually with less intervention and in the comfort of their own home. Across the board, 70 per cent of all deaths are expected, but 45 per cent of us die without a will.

It’s clear that death may not be the most talked about topic in the average Australian household. But with facts such as these, perhaps it should be. That is why The Groundswell Project is launching an Australian first - The 10 Things You Need To Know About Death workshops.

The all Australian initiative headed up by clinical psychologist Kerrie Noonan and learning entrepreneur Jessie Williams aims to socialise discussions on death and end-of-life planning within Australian households to increase the Australia’s “death literacy”.

Death literacy, a phrase coined by Noonan, means the “practical know-how needed to plan well for end-of-life”. This includes knowledge skills, and being able to take action and get involved with all end-of-life issues for you and your friends and family.

Kerrie Noonan believes that it’s vital to create a shift from general avoidance about topics surrounding death to deep engagement and social action.

“We see a lot of people missing the opportunity of having a loving and peaceful death, with a lot unnecessary expense, pain and suffering to the dying and their family members, when actually these painful issues can be avoided” said Noonan.

Because most people are reluctant to talk about death and consider it a taboo subject, Australia has some alarming statistics surrounding death and dying; 45 per cent of Australians die without a will and only five per cent have a plan for their end of life.

Additionally 70 per cent of deaths are expected through illness and old age, meaning that there really is no excuse for not planning for death; to make your last days meaningful, pain free and surrounded by family.

It is also interesting to note that doctors die differently given their everyday exposure to death. With a large percentage of doctors opting out of aggressive life saving treatments in old age and choosing to die at home, we are seeing a spectrum of dying behaviour between the informed and the ill-informed.

“It’s a fact that medical professionals are more educated on death and therefore die differently. We want to replicate and normalise this behaviour so that the average Australian can make educated and informed decisions about their death” said Noonan.

The 10 Things You Need To Know About Death workshops will be run by Noonan, Williams and additional experts; and will teach participants how to leverage the 10 Things and apply them to their own end-of-life planning. A key take-out of the workshops will be for participants to confidently hold conversations with their family and friends about death and dying.

Jessie Williams believes that it is the socialisation of this topic amongst friends and family that is key to a cultural shift around dying.

“At the workshops we want people to walk away being more comfortable to talk about end-of-life issues. Discussions motivate interest, and interest motivates self-education. We don’t mind what format it comes in, but it’s time to have the conversation” said Williams.

Workshops will commence rolling out in August, in NSW, and move to Melbourne towards the end of 2015.

Acknowledging, that it can often be difficult to talk about the D-word, The Groundswell Project is also offering free resources on its website, www.thegroundswellproject.com, to assist Australians commencing their end-of-life planning with a death checklist and emotional will; which cover the more human side of wills such as favourite recipes, songs, films, jokes and words of advice for grieving family and friends.

The 10 Things Workshop is being delivered in partnership with The Vasudhara Foundation, which supports early-stage, innovative and creative social impact projects. The Vasudhara Foundation has a broad range of interests including the dying well space and projects that promote death literacy in Australia.