Suffolk GP says conversations about death can be "empowering"
Research shows less than half (45%) of people have openly talked about their funeral wishes with loved ones
A Suffolk GP is urging those across the county to get talking about what they want to happen to them after they die.
It's after research by the Co-op found that less than half (45%) of people have openly talked about their funeral wishes with loved ones.
The research also showed 72% of people say they have not made a will, with half (51%) saying this is because they have not got around to it yet.
Also, it revealed over a fifth (22%) of people think about their own death as regularly as once a week, and over half (55%) do so monthly.
Lindsey Crockett, a doctor and the End of Life and Ageing Well lead for East Suffolk told us she understands people may want to avoid the subject because of the emotions that it will bring out, but encourages people not to think of it as a "difficult" conversation but a "tender one."
Lindsey acknowledges it is important to have this conversation throughout your life, as life is uncertain and unpredictable and that she has had "bereaved relatives" turn to her in "deep sorrow because they didn't know what their loved ones wanted."
She suggested the topic doesn't have to be morbid, it can be a chance to learn more about your loved one, laugh together and relieve stress for those involved and actually can be rather "empowering", allowing them to have a plan to honour their wishes and take some of the stress away when the time comes.
Lindsey also suggests it can start with a simple question such as "what do you value most? What matters to you?"
She went on to say there is also a practical element to this: "Does anyone know your password?
"What about your bank account? Do you know if your loved one wants to be cremated or buried?
"Do you know what might be some particular rituals that they would like to have done? Are there any letters?
"All of these things are really important and things to empower the grieving so that they can feel less helpless."