Thinking about dying and talking about death is difficult for most Australians; it is not something that we want to do, let alone plan for the care we would like to receive at the end stage of our life. One of the greatest barriers to receiving quality care at the end of life is a lack of knowledge and preparation.
Unless people have had some direct experience with palliative care, they tend not to know what support is available. This lack of understanding often extends to family or loved ones who can often be integral in decision making when the time comes.
It is true that the whole notion of death is confronting.
However, although it is difficult, can we afford to ignore it?
Death is an experience we will all go through and it is important we have thought about the end stage of our life, talked about it with our loved ones and planned for it.
Palliative Care ACT encourages people to think about where they would like to be when they die, who they want to be present and, importantly, talk about it with family and loved ones.
