A BIG LIST of Death Literacy, Planning & Conversation Tools
Talking about death & conversation
These projects promote the importance of having conversations about death and dying as part of life.
Death Cafe - watch our conversation with Jon Underwood chat on YouTube HERE and use the Death Cafe website to find your local Death Cafe in Australia and around the world.
Death over Dinner Australia - now is the time to plan a very special dinner, and help transform this challenging conversation into an inspiring one.
Conversations for Life UK - a great project using community development and film
The Conversation Project - USA - see their FABULOUS conversation starter kits.
To Absent Friends - Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance
Engage with Grace - beautifully simple approach to a complex issue
Die-alogue Cafe Newcastle - lots of local resources and information and a model to encourage conversation
http://yourgoodbye.com/ - from the Australian Funeral Directors Association
www.supportaftersuicide.org.au - support those bereaved by suicide
Death, a love project, a guide to exploring the life in death and finding the way together
The Stanford Letter Project - 3 simple forms
www.letterofwishes.com - A Letter of Wishes is a non-legally binding document & a guide for your family, friends, executors, and trustees, ensuring your personal wishes are carried out when you die.
Pets, End of Life planning and Grief
Pets and People - Some great resources around Pet Loss & Grief articles.
RSPCA Home ever after program - To ensure your pet is looked after exactly the way you would want them. This means, should we ever need to rehome your pet, we can match their needs with someone who is able to offer them a home just like yours.
RSPCA Community Aged Care program - aims to keep pets and their elderly owners happy, healthy, and together in their own homes for as long as possible.
RSPCA Senior for Seniors program - RSPCA NSW offers a 50% discount on pets for Senior Card holders if they adopt one of our ‘golden oldie’ animals – those are dogs and cats aged over eight years old
Planning for end of life tools.
These resources help to plan well for the end of life.
Ten Things to Know Before You Go - Our comprehensive end of life planning workshop
Where there’s a will there’s a wake book Whether you are preparing for the death of someone close to you or creating your own funeral and wake plan, take the pressure and stress away from your family and friends, and create funerals and wakes that truly reflect the life you are celebrating.
Donate Life | Australian Government Organ and Tissue Authority
Dying to talk - download the kit from Palliative Care Australia.
Planning Ahead - NSW Government website with tools on how to play for end of life.
COTA NSW - Council of the Ageing NSW - Fact Sheets
COTA VIC - Council of the Ageing VIC - end of life issues
State Trustees Victoria - Helping Victorians plan around end of life issues
Advance Care Planning - Australia wide tools
Advance Care Planning NZ - New Zealand tools for Advance care Planning
My EndNotes - online planning tools
Ultimate Guide to Digital Death and how to handle it
BIO Jars - Curate your legacy
The Last Wishes Booklet - a unique journal to curate your end of life wishes.
Advanced Care Planning at Groote Eylandt - Informative video of the people of Groote Eylandt, making plans about final days with health staff, family and friends.
Ultimate Guide to Funerals e-books from Celebrants Training College
When I Die - End of Life Planners (NZ) Kathryn Perks
NSW Government - Pathways towards sustainable burial and cremation options for NSW
Talking about death with children.
LifeTimes - book on how to talk with children about death
Top 10 children's books on death and bereavement by The Guardian
Compassionate Communities.
Books.
We are all going to die by Leah Kaminisky
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
I’m Dying Up Here: Books on How to Grieve and How to Die - A List from the New York Times
Top 5 Books about death - A List from Bianca Nogrady
The End by Bianca Nogrady
Dying For A Chat by Dr Ranjana Srivastava
The Four Things that Matter Most - Dr Ira Byock
The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
The Rest Easy Journal by Shanna Provost
Sacred Dying by Megory Anderson
The Art of Death Midwifery by Joelle St Pierre
Midwife for Souls by Kathy Kalina
The Needs of the Dying by David Kessler
Cherish - A tool to help you capture beautiful memories and moments to pass down by Shaela Mauger
Ripples - What Lies Beyond by Danielle Aitken
After Suicide Loss: Coping with Grief by Jack Jordan
No time to say Goodbye by Carla Fine
Touched by Suicide by Carla Fine
A Good Death: a compassionate and practical guide to prepare for the end of life - by Margaret Rice
Headstones - Advice & Inspiration - by Hannah Wessel
Dying to Tell You - by Kathryn Perks
Blogs & podcasts.
The Pineapple Podcast Season 4 with Jan Fran
What to send to a funeral instead of flowers via What’s Your Grief
We need to talk about Death - BBC Radio
Better Off Dead by Andrew Denton
Rhyming the Dead via The Red Room Company
Cory Taylor on dying for beginners via the Conversation Hour with Richard Fidler ABC
Death doulas & end of life workers.
Care Beyond Cure Inc.- Compassionate Communities Cradle Coast - Some great resources available
Natural Grace - Victoria
Spiritual Palliative Care - based in QLD
The Departure - studio, contemporary art and advocacy space in Castlemaine, Victoria.
Gentle Death Education and Planning - End of Life Consultant, Doula, and planning services and comprehensive, inclusive online end of life work training
Preparing the Way - End of Life Doula Training + Directory
Australian Doula College - organisation that provides education, support and continuity of care for End of Life Doulas + Directory
Celebrants Training College - Funeral celebrations, death doulas and end of life workers
Funerals & burials.
Natural Grace - Victoria
Tender Funerals - Port Kembla
NDAN - Natural Death Advocacy Network - Australia
The Last Hooroo - NSW
National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA) - USA based
You n Taboo - Independent funeral director specialising in family-led funerals located in Tasmania
The Last Hurrah Funerals - Fiercely independent, female owned and operated. Everything from DIY funerals, family-led farewells, Voluntary Assisted Dying packages, home funerals, body donation support and more.
Funeral celebrants.
Natural Grace - Victoria
Tender Funerals - Port Kembla
NDAN - Natural Death Advocacy Network - Australia
National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA) - USA based
Films & talks.
Love in our own time - Australian Documentary a film by Tom Murray and Madeleine Hetherton, is a documentary on the big things in life: birth, love, and death.
FilmLife Project - a unique way to have the the chat about organ and tissue donation.
Legacy: A Ride To Conquer MND
Loss & Grief.
UNSTUCK: RESCUING YOURSELF FROM UNRESOLVED GRIEF book by Jane Carstens
Bereavement Leave - How to Ask for Time Off - this is UK specific but has tips and advice that is relevant to all.
Understanding Complicated Grief - How to Identify and Address it
Coping with Grief by Mal and Dianne McKissock (great introduction)
It’s Ok that you’re not Ok by Megan Devine
What’s your Grief? - many resources.
Good Grief - website with many resources.
Palliative Care
Caresearch - your link to research and grey research from across Australia and the world
Our favourite resources.
Public Health Palliative Care International Developing Compassionate Communities
Beyond Taboos - The GroundSwell Project
Dying Matters - England
Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief Scotland
Institute of Palliative Medicine Kerala - A WHO demonstration project that is now a WHO Centre for excellence in palliative care.
The Order of the Good Death - Caitlin Doughty and her crew make death awareness funky.
The Lien Foundation - Life Before Death
Bevival - improving the way we experience end of life.
Are we missing something?
Should your website be listed? Do you have a suggestion? What did you find interesting? How you are developing your death literacy?
Please get in contact with us via this form or info@thegroundswellproject.com to let us know.