Death and dying is still widely a taboo subject in our society and because of that, many of us feel deeply unprepared and distressed when having to face end of life. The end of life journey can feel uncharted, chaotic, painful, frightening, for ourselves and our loved ones.

But talking and feeling as prepared as possible for the end of life can make a difference in the experience we have when we come to face it either for ourselves or our loved ones.

Healthcare professionals play a vital role in supporting people who are dying and their families. People on the frontline see first-hand the impact on people at the end of life who, for whatever reason, have not felt able to talk and prepare.

‘Whatever we call it, we need to talk about’ the new Marie Curie campaign aims to support people, if and when they're ready, to open up earlier and talk about death and dying. For many people they may not know where to start or what may be helpful to talk, plan and prepare for a good end of life. 

Marie Curie has developed tools and resources, such as, thought-provoking playing cards and information booklets, offering the ‘conversation starter’ that can be looked at, at their own pace, in their own home or care home (or familiar surroundings), with people they want to involve in conversations about their end of life care.

By using Marie Curie’s tools and resources and sharing the message with your own networks we can work together to influence and encourage more people to start talking about death and dying and help more people plan and prepare for a better end of life.

We also provide information on caring for people in their final days or hours.

For people who may want more information on support before and after death visit our Marie Curie Information Service page.

If you’re an end of life care lead for your organisation and would like more detailed information, please contact us.