‘I don't want to talk about it.’ Raising public awareness of end-of-life care planning in your locality

Abstract

The UK Department of Health's (2008) End of Life Care Strategy highlighted the need for greater public awareness around planning and the choices available as people approach the end of their life. Despite efforts to 'normalise' death and dying and recognise that they are an inevitable part of life, a taboo persists and open communication about these issues is often limited or restricted to periods of crisis. Translating national policy into meaningful local dialogue requires creative interventions that are adaptable to each community. This article explores these key themes and reports on the responses of the first 304 people to complete an end-of-life survey as part of local engagement with the general public in South West Essex regarding issues around death and dying.