Dying Matters Week 2017
We will be running three events to raise awareness of the importance of planning ahead for your care and treatment. Join us! The events are part of this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week (8th – 14th May 2017), which has been organised by the Dying Matters Coalition to encourage people to talk openly about dying, death and bereavement. This year’s theme – What Can You Do? aims to get more people actively involved in planning for dying.
Make it Your Decision on Tour
Planning Ahead talk – Pendle Seniors Group
Monday 8th May
(11am – 12:30pm)
Compassion in Dying will be talking to the Pendle Seniors group (one of the Lancashire Older People’s Forums based in Pendle) to explore how people can plan ahead for future care and treatment.
This event is now FULLY BOOKED.
When I can’t speak for myself, what do I want to say?
Tuesday 9th May (10.30am – 12.30pm)
Where: Hornby Institute, Forest of Bowland AONB, Main St, Hornby, Lancaster LA2 8JR
This creative workshop will explore issues relating to Dementia and Choice at the end of life. Join us to hear about Compassion in Dying’s first ever nation-wide campaign urging people to think about and record their wishes for future treatment and care and about Pioneer Projects’ creative engagement with people with dementia and their carers in North Yorkshire.
We will support you to WRITE a postcard to your future self, saying what you do and do not want.
Most people have strong views about the care and treatment they want in the future. Do you?
Wednesday 10th May
(12.30pm-3pm)
Where: Asda (Community Room) Colne, Unit 1, Swinden Retail Park, Corporation Street, Colne, BB8 8LU
Join us for this friendly, informal drop-in session hosted by Compassion in Dying in partnership with Age UK Lancashire and Advocacy Focus.
We invite anyone curious to drop-in for a coffee and find out more about how you can plan ahead for your future care and treatment. The event also allows you to find out what services and support are available to you from Age UK Lancashire and to understand how an Independent Advocate can help you in the future when you perhaps can’t speak for yourself and have important decisions to make about where to live and whether you should have serious medical treatment.
Refreshments will be provided and anyone is welcome to attend, no appointment needed.
Usha Grieve – Director of Partnerships & Information at Compassion in Dying, said:
“Everyone should have their wishes respected but currently there is a lack of awareness around end-of-life rights and people are not making these wishes known. Only 4% of the public have legally recorded their treatment preferences in an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment.
At Compassion in Dying we want to change this through awareness raising and through the provision of support that empowers people to think through their wishes, and document their preferences for care and treatment.
Dying Matters week is a great opportunity for people to find out more about how they can plan for the end of life. Talking about dying is a good first step and we will continue to support people to take the next important step of recording their wishes, so that if something happens and they can’t make decisions, their wishes can be known and followed.”
For more details contact us at info@compassionindying.org.uk or on 0800 999 2434 and follow us on Twitter @AGoodDeath Be prepared for the unexpected and ensure you stay in control of your healthcare decisions – Make It Your Decision.