S1 Ep7: Talking to young people about death and dying

Most of us are more likely to only start talking about death and dying as we get older - as the prospect gets nearer, more familiar, maybe even more relatable. However, as we all know, death doesn't just come for us at the end of a long life. It happens to the young too.  Our guests this week passionately believe that it's really important to include the voices of young people in conversations about death and dying. Lucy Watts was told that her health and mobility problems were life-limiting when she was seventeen. Ever since then, she has become an advocate for young people who need palliative and end of life care, arguing that they have specific needs that cannot be met by children's or adult's services alone. We dig into what those needs are, as well as Lucy's own beliefs around death and dying, and why she challenges other people in her life to think and talk about it in the same way that she has had to. We also hear from Debbie Young and Joanie Speers, who worked with Gentle Dusk in Islington to set up a death cafe just for young people, providing them with their own space to talk about death and dying.  Theme music is by Bernadette Ryan. Find out more about Lucy Watts on her blog:  http://www.lucy-watts.co.uk/ Find out more about Gentle Dusk: http://www.gentledusk.org.uk/  Dying Matters online: Twitter: @dyingmatters Facebook: www.facebook.com/DyingMatters/ Instagram: @DyingMatters  Dying Matters is a part of Hospice UK, the national charity for hospice and palliative care. Registered in England and Wales No. 2751549. Charity registered in England and Wales No. 1014851, and in Scotland No. SC041112. VAT No 731 304476.

Om Podcasten

“Let’s talk about it.” Death and dying is one of those topics that’s just hard to talk about. We know that we will all have to face it one day, but we put that “difficult” conversation off until tomorrow. Or the day after… Well it doesn’t have to be that way. The people we talk to on this podcast are people who do talk about it. They’re people who have learnt through personal experience how important it is to talk about our wishes before it’s too late, and they have a lot to say. Whether you’ve been bereaved, have a family member who’s approaching the end of life, want to support a friend, or just want to know how to start the conversation for yourself, this podcast is for you. Dying Matters is a part of Hospice UK (https://www.hospiceuk.org/) , the national charity for hospice care. Registered in England and Wales No. 2751549. Charity registered in England and Wales No. 1014851, and in Scotland No. SC041112.