What is Dying Matters?
The month of May welcomes a week in the Dove House calendar that is designed to spark conversations, alleviate stigmas and encourage vocalisations about death, dying and grief.
From the 5th to 11th of May is the annual Dying Matters Awareness Week, a campaign that is led nationally by Hospice UK, themed this year around ‘The Culture of Dying Matters’.
At Dove House we aim to celebrate and educate on the many ways that varying cultures navigate and commemorate death, emphasising that even with differing traditions, the same emotions have a universal connection between us all in grief and loss.
Throughout the week, we will be updating our social media channels with insight and approaches to conversations and feelings about death and dying, from both inside and outside of the hospice.
Why talking about dying does matter?
As part of the Dying Matters Awareness campaign 2025, Hospice UK Senior Digital Marketing & Campaign Manager, Chris White said “Talking about death and dying is never easy, but it’s vital. Honest and timely conversations can ensure that people get the support they need and help loved ones better understand their wishes. We hope that by sharing and learning from these experiences, we can create a society where talking about death is less of a taboo and where everyone feels empowered to have these conversations”.
From this, we at Dove House asked some of our own staff on the inpatient unit, ‘Why does talking about dying matter?’…
“To be prepared, as you never know when you need to be ready” – Senior Staff Nurse, Lisa
“Breaking that barrier is okay, don’t be afraid to talk and ask for help” – Discharge Assistant, Elaine
“It dispels all of the myths as everyone’s experience is different” – Care Assistant, Tish`
How to get involved
There are many ways you can get involved with Dying Matters, from sharing your story with us to visiting one of our staff members at a drop in listed below.
We would like to invite you to share your experience of what helped you and your loved ones when having these difficult conversations.
Share your experience