Sutherland Library’s meeting room was filled to capacity with about 100 people on August 8, 2019, and the Death Cafe organised by Home Instead’s Karen Buckley was fully subscribed within days of being advertised. Karen and her team had worked tirelessly to show people the importance of being well prepared. … Read more
Dr Michael Barbato recently made a big claim: “There is no such thing as unconsciousness.” He said this when I interviewed him for North Sydney Community Centre’s Conversations about Death and Dying. “Can you share with us, what the latest wisdom is, about the experience of the unconscious when somebody … Read more
I picked up many, many gems of wisdom from North Sydney’s ‘Conversations about Death and Dying’ on Saturday, (May 25, 2019.) It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how much you think you know about a subject there is always so much more to learn.
Christine from Brisbane’s father died in August, so not that long ago, as she explained on Radio National yesterday. She phoned in to speak on Hilary Harper’s Life Matters program: “Preparing for the loss of a loved one.” Christine’s father had a stroke 18 months before and as his death … Read more
“Have you been around during the last months of someone’s life, either a friend or a relative?”
Nearly 80,000 words later and close to completing my ‘life affirming book about death’, I’m back. With more ideas, challenges and stories of people’s experiences to share, as we talk about death. This is one: what if better architecture makes better goodbyes? Here’s something wonderful – thank you to the UK’s … Read more
It’s been quiet around here for a little while because I’ve been working on an exciting project with Murdoch Books. Murdoch Books will be publishing my life affirming book about death in 2019. We agree that dying well is part of the brand’s mission to help people ‘live life well’. … Read more
Help with end of life care directions has just arrived – for elderly Australians – in the form of the ELDAC website. (https://www.eldac.com.au/) Funded and supported by the Australian Government, it’s an internet tool developed by palliative care experts from around the country. The package has documents, videos and information … Read more
My advance care directive is only short. I don’t want to say too much, be too specific and I’ve been very deliberate about this. Today I popped it up, sorting to the top of my list of computer folders. Of course I hope it won’t be needed for many years. But … Read more
Green-pod burials solve many problems. They’re good for the environment and they’re a gentle, practical and beautiful way to return to the earth. So they would work even for the most traditional of people. “I’ve completely changed my plans about how I’m going to be buried,” announced my friend Kim at … Read more
Could an end of life doula, or amicus mortis help to midwife your death? ‘Doula’ is a Greek word for a woman who gives support, help, and advice to another woman during pregnancy and during and after birth. The word has now spread to cover the same style of care for someone who is dying.
Other expressions which cover support at the end of life are “midwife to the dying” and the Latin term “amicus mortis”, the friend of the dying.
Spiritual experiences around the time of death can be very powerful. Sometimes these alert others that someone they love has died. My friend Carolyn Parfitt shares a story that is a good example of this. “My husband and I were away camping in Kakadu National Park and we were out … Read more
When Jenny Briscoe-Hough brought back the idea to her Port Kembla community centre of starting their own not-for-profit funeral service, the idea resonated.She’d wondered whether the loyal stalwarts who attended the centre, seeking support and succour, would be offended. But she was overwhelmed by the way they embraced it. “I … Read more
Australian-born Peter Walsh, who’s made it in LA with blessings from Oprah, has written the ideal gem for those at that difficult time of dismantling their parents’ home. Even though Let It Go, like many of Walsh’s books, is about decluttering generally, it shows what a cleansing experience this can … Read more
You’ve got a (small) opportunity to fill in a survey about palliative care in NSW, until December 15, this year (2017). The NSW government has promised to spend an extra $100 million over the next four years for community-based palliative care services, on top of the money it already spends. … Read more
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