Let’s Talk about Death and Dying
Dying Matters Awareness Week 2026 | Hospice UK
The mission of Dying Matters is to break down the stigma and taboo of talking about death and dying. But sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start.
27% of people find it hard to talk about death with family or friends, and 30% bottle their feelings up. If we don’t talk about death and dying and bereavement, it can be harder to cope when we experience it.
Death, dying and bereavement affect us all. This Dying Matters Awareness Week we’re focusing on the importance of conversations about death and dying – with family, friends, employers, anyone in your life – helping you to get the conversation started.
Compassionate Communities Northern Ireland
For upcoming events taking place across the Western, Northern, and Belfast Trust areas, as well as online, in support of Dying Matters Awareness Week please click here:
Events | Compassionate Communities Northern Ireland
New resource for parents and carers to support bereaved children and young people
Supporting Children & Young People Through Grief & Bereavement
This booklet has been written for parents / carers to offer guidance as you support children and young people through grief. It provides information that may help you in responding to your child or young person after a death.
It aims to:
- Explain how children and young people of different ages understand death
- Offer practical advice on how to talk to children about a death
- Support families in helping children say goodbye, attend funerals, or make decisions about seeing the person who has died
- Give guidance on responding to children’s feelings, behaviours and questions
- Provide ideas for memory making (e.g., memory boxes, photos, mementos)
- Signpost to further bereavement support services for children and young people
New resources to support people with learning disabilities through bereavement – Northern Health & Social Care Trust
People growing older with learning disabilities often do not have the same access to palliative care and bereavement services as the general public.
Research shows that adults with a learning disability will experience several significant bereavements of family or friends and want to be involved in conversations about death and dying. Many staff, carers and family find these sensitive conversations difficult.
A new booklet When Someone Dies can be used to support people with learning disabilities when they become bereaved. A Guidance booklet has also been created to help family, carers and health professionals have confidence using the resource.
New guidance for Nurses and Midwives in NI – launched 5 May 2026 by Royal College of Nursing NI
NI Bereavement Network Care of the Deceased Adult in Hospital and Those Important to Them – A Guideline for Nursing and Midwifery Practice in Northern Ireland
Dying Matters Awareness Week – events within Health & Social Care Trusts
South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust
May 5th 1.30-4.00 pm Ards QICC Centre
Supporting younger people and children who have a relative with a Palliative diagnosis. This workshops hopes to support community staff across the Trust.
Aims: To improve understanding of how to support children and young people when a family member has a palliative diagnosis.
To equip professionals with the understanding and tools needed to support children and young people experiencing the impact of a relative’s palliative illness in a sensitive and developmentally appropriate way.
May 7th 9.30-12pm Ards QICC
Bereavement Service Planning & Development
Stakeholder Workshop Event
Bereavement care services are essential for ensuring that bereaved individuals are supported as they navigate their grief journey.
We are welcoming a range of statutory, voluntary and community stakeholders, alongside service user engagement, to a workshop event.
We aim to explore current service provision within the South Eastern Trust and working collectively to help plan for future service development initiatives.
Other Dying Matters Awareness Week links:
Dying Matters Awareness Week | Macmillan Cancer Support
Dying Matters Awareness Week encourages people to come together to talk about death, dying and grief. In this blog, Adrienne discusses the importance of these conversations and the ways Macmillan is improving support and information around end of life care for people living with cancer.
Dying Matters Week – News and updates – Carers Network
Dying Matters Awareness Week is a moment to encourage all communities to get talking in whatever way, shape or form works for them.
Dying Matters Awareness Week – Let’s Talk About Death
Good Grief Festival Newsletter – Events, recordings and more from Good Grief Festival