Compassionate Communities West Sussex supporting Dying Matters Awareness Week 2021

West Sussex residents are being encouraged to talk about death, dying, bereavement and loss as part of Dying Matters Week 2021.

The theme of the week is the importance of being in a good place to die – physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually and digitally.

There is no right or wrong place to die; it will be different for everyone. But it is important for families to think about it, to talk about it and to plan for it. To mark this national awareness week, West Sussex County Council, along with other local organisations including the NHS, our local hospices and voluntary sector, are holding a range of events and seminars.

The webinars are free to access, and will help residents to develop knowledge, skills and understanding around death, dying, bereavement and loss. These include: 

Freeman Brothers introduces the funeral industry - Tuesday 11 May 11am-12pm Book here and Thursday 13 May 11am-12pm Book here

‘A good place to die: what does a place need to be, to be good?’ from Time to Talk Befriending – Wednesday 12 May 10-11.30am Please email info@tttb.org.uk to book your place (on a first come first served basis). RSVP no later than Friday 7 May by midday. Further event details including the Zoom link will be sent via email to attendees on Monday 10 May 2021.

Supporting people in your community with bereavement and loss, from As You Are Centre – Friday 14 May 1.30-3.00pm Book here

Funeral costs and other practical tips for people dealing with bereavement, from Citizens Advice in West Sussex – available on demand. Access from Citizens Advice website from Friday 14 May.

During the week, NHS colleagues will be promoting the ReSPECT (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment) process, which creates a personalised recommendation for someone’s clinical care in emergency situations where they are not able to make decisions or express their wishes. For more information, click here.

Alison Challenger, Director of Public Health at West Sussex County Council, said: “People and communities have experienced multiple losses during the pandemic. For those who have been bereaved, Covid-19 restrictions have had an impact on almost every aspect of their experience.

“We hope Dying Matters Week will give residents the opportunity to have important conversations about death and loss.

"Planning for death is more important than ever in a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has taken so many lives through circumstances that are beyond our control.

"We want people of all ages to be in a good place when they die – physically, emotionally and with the right care in place. These seminars can help through giving people the knowledge, understanding and confidence to have those conversations.

Dying Matters Week (10-16 May) is a national, annual awareness week which aims to get people talking about death, dying and bereavement.

For more information about bereavement, click here.