Dying to Know Day (August 8th) is an annual campaign that encourages community members and organisations to host events that encourage critical discussion and planning around death, dying, and grief. Holly Rankin-Smith, Communication Director at The Groundswell Project, discusses their campaign and the importance of having these critical conversations particularly during this COVID-19 pandemic. 

Have you ever tried to broach the topic of end-of-life wishes with a loved one and been met with stunned silence? People often report this kind of experience, and research indicates that many people are uncomfortable with discussing death and dying. This leaves many Australians unprepared for death and the decisions that need to be made when a person is dying. Dr Lauren Miller-Lewis discusses the importance of bringing conversations about death to life through online learning. 

August 8^th is Dying to Know Day – a campaign that encourages people across the country to engage in meaningful conversation around death, dying and loss by hosting events in their local area. This is its 5^th year running and it has clocked up over 403 individual events!
 
So why on earth should we talk about death?!
 
Many cultures around the world have a different approach to death. In many countries, people generally die at home surrounded by their community, it is an important time for a community to gather and support each other. Death is not a scary thing to talk about because people have seen the process over their lifetime, they are familiar with the rituals and traditions so they know exactly what to expect and how to respond.

I really wasn’t sure what this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on death and dying was going to look like but I dived in boots and all.
 
I am a nurse working as an End of Life Care Coordinator, so dead, death and dying are among the three most common words I use every day at work. I approached this course not only from a professional point of view but as a member of the community. I feel this made my experience so much richer, as I was able to appreciate the comments from across the board and indeed from across the world.
 

What if we knew how to respond to death and loss when it happens in our family, workplace and community?
What if we knew how to access end of life and palliative care when we needed it?
What would it be like if more of us were willing and able to respond well to death?
What if we planned for death like we plan for other important life events?