St Elizabeth Hospice organised a series of activities – including a public information event – to encourage people to talk about their last wishes.
The interactive “be ready for it” activity marked Dying Matters Awareness Week 2014 which ran from 12th to 18th May.
The Hospice hosted a free public drop-in event called Let’s Talk – practical steps to live and die well on Thursday 15th May from 4.30pm-8pm.
There was interactive information stands encouraging anyone – not just those diagnosed with a progressive illness – to talk about their wishes, including:
• name the song you would like played at your funeral
• find out about writing your Will
• plan your future care and funeral
• write your bucket list
• find out how to tell your loved one your wishes
Experts were on hand to give advice, including Hospice nurses, Richard Guy from Prettys Solicitors, Ipswich, and Adam Gray from East of England Co-op Funeral Services.
During the week, staff and volunteers from St Elizabeth Hospice visited Suffolk’s rural communities with the Rural Coffee Caravan to encourage discussion.
And patients took take part in a practical workshop as part of their usual day care session.
Senior Nurse Julie Harris, of St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We all know it is not easy to talk about these topics. But it is important we are able to encourage our patients, families, carers and the wider public to make the most of their lives and plan for the end of them.”
People from across Suffolk attended a “be ready for it event” at UCS’s Waterfront Building in Ipswich on Wednesday 14th May. Organised by the Norfolk and Suffolk Palliative Care Academy, anyone who came along was able to complete the sentence “before I die, I want to….” on a special graffiti wall, in turn encouraging them to think about what really matters to them. St Elizabeth Hospice’s Chief Executive Jane Petit got the ball rolling by sharing her aspirations.