End of Life Care | Bereavement care | Talking about death and dying

Talking about death and dying
Session overview
Description
This session explores the cultural issues surrounding death and dying in the UK and offers guidance on how to talk about this often difficult subject.

This session was reviewed by Sarah Hanrott and last updated in June 2022.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of how different cultures approach death and dying
• identify cultural barriers to discussing death and dying in the UK
• recognise the importance of talking about death and dying

People have always lived with death. Its rituals are an integral and inseparable part of life, yet so many of us fear it.

Talking about death and dying has become a taboo subject in modern-day Britain. Over the last century, we have become a death-denying society, preferring instead to hand death over to doctors and funeral directors.