Talking to children about death dying and bereavement – Is it time for a change in the school curriculum?

Abstract

Open and honest communication between families is integral to caring for patients with progressive terminal illnesses. Talking to children about death, dying and bereavement, however, has always been a taboo subject. The specialist palliative care team in Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust share how they succesfully collaborated with a local secondary school to encourage young people to talk about these subjects.