MOST of us try to avoid conversations about death.
Despite being a natural part of the human experience, it can evoke feelings of fear, discomfort, avoidance, and denial.
The Dungog Death Collective is a community initiative aimed at assisting us to have conversations around death, dying and grief in a supported and informative environment.
On the fourth Wednesday of every month, the group meets at the Dungog Library at 3pm,
Everyone is welcome to attend to hear from guest speakers and a local doctor, who cover various topics.
Whether it’s discussing grief and loss, support, available options for home care versus medical care, and after-death arrangements, these open conversations provide a much-needed resource in the community, according to professional End-of-Life Doula, Jess Watkins.
She believes people should feel empowered to do what’s right for them.
“We plan for fires and floods, why wouldn’t we plan for the biggest emotional emergency in our life?” Ms Watkns said.
“Our goal is to move away from medical models of care back towards a community approach that collectively empowers and better supports families.”
Dungog Death Collective is planning a free community event, in line with Compassionate Communities Australia, to assist people to become more ‘death literate’ and comfortable discussing death.
“It’s about bringing death to the table, so we can live life better,” Ms Watkins said.
“That’s something we should all embrace.”
By Megan WILLIS
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