14/9/2009 - End of Life film goes online

A film telling the stories of how different families in Cumbria have coped with the death of a loved one is to be premiered at workshops running in Cumbria next month.

Recorded as part of NHS Cumbria's Conversations for Life initiative the film shows different people talking about the death of a loved one and how they lived their last days.

The film which was made following a call for stories earlier this year is just one part of the Conversations for Life programme and appears on the initiatives' new website www.cumbriaconversationsforlife.nhs.uk which is also being launched this week. 

The website includes clips from the film, stories and experiences from Cumbrian people as well as advice on options and choices which can be made on our own end of life care. Conversations for Life will also be running workshops on the importance of having end of life conversations and suggesting ways to approach the subject with family and friends whilst people are still healthy enough to make those decisions. 

The workshops will take place across Cumbria commencing in October and are open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Conversations for Life aims to encourage people to talk about their wishes for their future care whilst still healthy or early on in a diagnosis. Therefore allowing people time to think about the future and helping them to make an informed choice. Many people avoid talking with family or professionals about how or where they’d prefer to be cared for at the end of their life. 

The programme believes people themselves are the best people to influence what happens to them in the future by informing those around them of their wishes. Currently, 22 per cent of people in Cumbria die at home - yet 80 per cent of people admit they'd like to live out their final days in their own home. Most often they don't talk about it or know where to begin. Although 70 per cent of British people have wills, fewer than 8 per cent have ‘advance care plans’.

Dr Rebecca Wagstaff is NHS Cumbria’s Deputy Director of Public Health. She said: "Already in the making of this film, a range of different people across Cumbria have shared their experiences of either losing a loved one or having to decide how best to care for them through a terminal illness. Hopefully by sharing these thoughts and emotions, we’ll all start to consider how important talking about the end of life really is, as it will happen to us all one day.

"I’d encourage as many people as possible to visit the Conversations for Life website, watch the film and think through their own feelings and preferences on end of life care. As health workers we can help the most when we know what people really want."

Cllr Eddie Martin, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member responsible for adult social care, said: "In both health and social care, we want to put people first and give them the choice to make their own decisions and shape the way they’re cared for. 

"Conversations for Life extends this fundamental approach into an area that many people still find a taboo - how to plan and prepare for death. This is a valuable project which helps breaks down social boundaries on an issue which unites us all. It will provide information on how we can ensure that when people do pass away, it happens in a way that respects the wishes of both them and their loved ones."

For more information on NHS Cumbria's Conversations for Life programme visit www.cumbriaconversationsforlife.nhs.uk

Community workshops will be held from the beginning of October, with further details at www.cumbriaconversationsforlife.nhs.uk

Thurs 1st Oct
5pm - 8.30pm
Stricklandgate House, Kendal

Sat 3rd Oct
10am - 1.30pm
Age Concern Barrow, Barrow-in-Furness

Wed 7th Oct
5pm - 8.30pm
Morton Community Centre, Carlisle

Sat 10th Oct
10am - 1.30pm
Marchesi Centre, Windermere

Thurs 15th Oct
5pm - 8.30pm
Swarthmoor Hall, Ulverston

Sat 17th Oct
10am - 1.30pm
Assembly Room (Tourist Information Centre), Carlisle

Wed 4th Nov
5pm - 8.30pm
Rosehill Barn, Whitehaven

Thur 12th Nov
5pm - 8.30pm
Helena Thompson Museum, Workington

Sat 14th Nov
10am - 1.30pm
Millom Network Centre, Millom

Thurs 19th Nov
5pm - 8.30pm
Evergreen Hall Community Centre, Penrith

Sat 21st Nov
10am - 1.30pm
The Eco Centre, Cockermouth

ENDS

Media enquiries please contact Ann Marie Palmer, communications officer, NHS Cumbria, 01768 245435/367 Interviews with Dr Wagstaff and casestudies involved in the film are available upon request