Discussing death and dying

Dr Kathryn Mannix talks about death and dying and the taboos associated with what is an inevitable part of everybody’s life. Kathryn is a palliative care physician a qualified cognitive behavioural therapist and is an award winning author of the thought provoking book “With the End in Mind”.

Topics

Why has it become taboo to discuss dying and death?
What suggestions do you have to reclaim the language of death and dying?
How does discussing this help patients and their families?
It can be difficult to start a conversation about dying- encouraging patients to say ‘ I love you’ ‘ I am sorry’ ’Thank you’ ‘I forgive you’ are often very important.
Advance care planning - how to begin the discussion.

Take home messages

Dying is a recognisable process, with clear stages and progression.
Describing normal dying to people gives them consolation and reduces their anxiety.
Most clinicians don't have a script for describing dying: it's a skill worth acquiring.
We should give preparation for death the same focused attention that we give preparation for birth.
Excellent NZ research shows that the most important aspect of 'safe' dying for people at the end of life is not where they die, but whether the right people are around them and whether they are treated as 'whole' people despite being frail and weary.