Every year in May, Dying Matters Awareness Week takes place in the United Kingdom and Wales. The week of activities get people talking about dying, death and bereavement, and places the topic front and center on the national agenda. In 2019, Dying Matters Awareness Week runs from the 13th to the 19th of May.
The theme for 2019 is “Are We Ready?” If U.S. statistics are any indication, most people are not ready to die. Less than 30% of adults do any end-of-life planning. Discussing death is a good way to get ready to go.
Dying Matters Awareness Week was one of the first worldwide movements to discuss death openly and honestly. It started in 2010 with just a handful of events. In 2018, there were more than 500 events in England, Scotland and Wales, with an estimated 10,000 attendees.
Activities include field trips, films, Death Cafe discussions, speakers, workshops for coffin making, will preparation, and obituary writing, and theatre productions with songs, stories and comedy. Learn more and find all the events listed at www.DyingMatters.org.
The Dying Matters coalition has over 32,000 members. The organization actively enlists those committed to supporting changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviors around death and dying. Joining is free, and their members include community groups, healthcare bodies, private individuals and groups representing a range of faiths.
Dying Matters Awareness Week is led by Hospice UK in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, they hold Good Death Week on the same dates and is led by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief and the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care.