The importance of talking about dying
We take this view because we believe that talking about dying, before we need to, can help us and the people we love to accept and have an unpressured conversation about our fears and wishes. An advance care planning conversation should allow us to document preferences that are important to us, such as where we would like our place of death to be, and what sort of end-of-life treatments we would want (or not want), if available to us. It also provides professionals with a clear idea of what matters to us, so they can help us in the right way when the time comes. Having said this, it’s important to stress that these conversations are optional, and no one needs to take part if they would rather not.
Even before the assisted dying debate gained momentum, we were conscious that many older people remain unaware of the benefits of advance care planning, confused about its remit and purpose, or suspicious of the motivations behind it. The misapplication of some Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) notices during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic won’t have helped. Nor will a public discourse about ageing in our society that often undervalues what it means to be older.
