Dying Matters Week 2022

Although we offer much more than end of life care, supporting people to prepare for the end of their lives is a really important part of what we do.

With this is mind, our Focus on Living Team have created a booklet called ‘When the time comes…’. This booklet is written with loved ones in mind and it’s a way of recording all the information they might need to know – helping patients and families to plan for tomorrow so they can live for today.

Davina Radford, Spiritual Care Lead said:

“The booklet is an act of love and kindness to help families if a loved one is no longer able to communicate or dies. It enables patients to record their wishes for how they want to be cared for in the future and what they would like to happen after they die. It also includes information to help loved ones make difficult decisions on their behalf and some of the practicalities they will have to consider, such as funeral planning, managing social media accounts and what exactly we might want and not want regarding future care.

“The booklet can be used in a number of ways. Patients can talk through the contents with their loved ones and complete it together. However we understand this isn’t for everyone as it can be very difficult to have these conversations. In that case, they could complete it by themselves or with a member of our care team.”

A patient who was involved in producing the booklet said:

“St Oswald’s Hospice has given me the opportunity to put in place a guide for my son to support him through a sad time. No one wants to leave their family and friends, but knowing they have this amazing support guide will make such a difference to and hopefully give them some peace of mind”.

As well as the booklet our Medics are able to help with Advance Care Planning and our Social Workers can provide advice and information to assist if a patient doesn’t have a Will but would like to arrange one.

Find out more about Dying Matter Week here.