New survey released by Palliative Care Victoria reveals Victorians are hesitant to talk about complex topics like death and palliative care

This National Palliative Care Week, Victorians are encouraged to ‘take time to talk’ about death, dying and end of life care, with new survey data revealing almost half of Victorians are not willing to talk about death and dying with their friends and family.

The survey of 1000 Victorians, released today to coincide with the start of National Palliative Care Week (Sunday May 23 – Saturday 29 May), showed that while in theory most respondents agreed it was important to talk openly about death and dying, in reality people rarely do it. The survey revealed 46 per cent stated they had never (20 per cent) or rarely (26 per cent) spoken about death and dying to their friends and family over the past 12 months.

The survey also revealed:

Respondents whose first language isn’t English were far less likely to access palliative care for themselves or a loved one

Females were more likely to speak to their loved ones about death or dying, with 27.3 per cent of women discussing the topics more than 5 times in the past 12 months compared to 23 per cent of males

Of the respondents that stated they didn’t speak about death and dying to their family and friends, the top three reasons as to why were:
They didn’t want to think about dying (35 per cent)
They didn’t think their family or friends would feel comfortable talking about death (31 per cent)
They thought they were too young to think about dying (24 per cent)

Palliative Care Victoria CEO, Violet Platt, said the data shows the need for more open conversations and greater education around topics like death, grief and palliative care within the community.

To assist Victorians with talking to their family and friends about end of life, Palliative Care Victoria has developed free resources that are available to download from its website, to help people start discussions with their loved ones, including ‘Conversation Starters’.

“We understand death and dying is an uncomfortable subject for some Victorians. This is why we created the ‘Taking Time to Talk’ campaign to commence from National Palliative Care Week,” said Ms Platt.

“Sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. We hope that the ‘Taking Time to Talk’ resources will help Victorians navigate these difficult discussions and in turn, create a more open conversation about death in homes, workplaces and within friendship groups,” she added.

The survey also revealed more than half (53 per cent) said they would be unlikely or extremely unlikely to ask for palliative care for themselves or a loved one, with the most popular reasons being that they think it is too expensive (21 per cent), they don’t know what palliative care is (15 per cent) or they only think it is for old people (13 per cent).

“It is clear that there is still a lack of understanding of what palliative care is. People think it is expensive, hard to access or only for those in aged care homes, but it is none of those things,” said Ms Platt.

“Palliative care is about supporting all patients with a life limiting illness, as well as their carers and loved ones, to live, die and grieve well. Palliative care is so much more than just medical care – it involves a team and a community approach including doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteers, family and friends,” she said.

“As Palliative Care Victoria enters its 40th Year of service to the Victorian community, it is important for us to continue advancing palliative care, and continue improving access for all.”

“We hope all Victorians will take the time to talk about the important things in life with their loved ones, which in turn will encourage more people to access palliative care services if they need it, despite age, gender, ethnicity or religious background,” she added.

You can download the Taking Time to Talk event resources and conversation starters via the Palliative Care Victoria website: https://www.pallcarevic.asn.au/