14 November 2011
I should have been told that mum had died
Sarah was nine when her mother died. Immediately shipped off to family and friends, she wasn't told what had happened until after the funeral. Now aged 50 with two adult children of her own, she talks about the life-long impact this has had on her.
Dying and death are very personal matters and as such this is a difficult piece to write, but as I firmly believe that sharing these experiences can help others I am going to give it a go.
19 October 2011
Soul food
Soul Midwife Felicity Warner was stunned to be invited to the Women of the Year lunch, where every attendee is handpicked for their personal contribution to society. Felicity talks about the Soul Midwife network she set up that led to her invitation.
There’s a running joke in my family that I need “to get out a bit more” and also many hints that I should dress properly for work!
5 October 2011
Fantastic support let my husband die at home
After 55 years of marriage, our world was shattered when my husband, Melvin, was diagnosed with Mesothilioma.
5 September 2011
Bolton PCT tackle death with humour
Vanessa Shaw, Palliative Care Educator, Bolton PCT (aka the Bolton Blogger), on how Bolton staff used comedy to encourage dialogue about death during Dying Matters Awareness Week.
1 August 2011
Right person, right time, right place
I was at a “Meet Macmillan” conference a few days ago. O
ur family has a lot to thank Macmillan for. It was a Macmillan nurse who made it possible for our son, Neil, to die in his own home, and that is why my wife, Dorothy, and I (right) are fund-raisers for Macmillan. Not in any sense to "pay back" what they did for Neil and for us. That’s impossible.
29 June 2011
My husband's life ended so well, thanks to the NHS
My husband Bill died in the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital in August 2008.
He had been diagnosed with emphysema and fibrosis of the lungs in the autumn of the previous year, and was being treated at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London.
15 June 2011
Award-winning writer Nell Dunn on her new play, Home Death
Nell Dunn is a distinguished writer whose work includes the award-winning play Steaming, as well as several novels including Up the Junction, which was directed for TV by Ken Loach. Her latest play, Home Death, is based on moving true-life accounts of people dealing with the death of their loved ones at home. It was performed this week at the Royal Society of Medicine as part of the National Council for Palliative Care 20th anniversary and Dying Matters Awareness Week.
5 June 2011
After my daughter's death, I realised how good her end of life care had been
I remember when I was young, lying awake at night and being scared of dying. I wasn’t scared of any pain that may be involved in my death, what scared me was the thought of not being able to do all the things I wanted to, simple things at that age - not being around to play football with my friends being my biggest fear. I can’t understand the rationale behind my thinking: I was perfectly healthy and had hardly ever been to the doctors, but occasionally these dark thoughts would cross my mind.
26 January 2011
What do you say when someone dies?
An article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday advised on the right and wrong things to say to someone grieving for a loved one.
21 December 2010
Dying Matters Festive Campaign 2010
‘Let’s make sure nobody dies home and alone this Christmas’
On 20 December the Dying Matters Coalition launched its Christmas Campaign to highlight the seasonal dangers to people who are home alone this Christmas. Dying alone is a tragedy at any time of year but particularly at Christmas. Over a million older people will spend this Christmas alone and many also risk dying alone.
