Mostly I deal with very practical things like dealing with benefits, food parcels and home help. But also I talk to people about who they have in their life and the supports they have and their plans. We talk about wills, EPOA and advanced care plans.
And then sometimes people talk to me about what is really important to them. They are thinking about what is next. Some of them talk about heaven. Some of them talk about there being something else after death. By the time I get to see them, they are usually perfectly comfortable talking about it.
It's a bit scary sometimes because we all seemed to be programmed to not want to say the wrong thing. We were talking about this in the office today. It's odd isn't it, we all die eventually but as a society we are generally quite terrible at talking about it.
Anyway I'm quite new at this and feeling my way. With every conversation it gets a bit easier. It's really lovely work and a real privilege to be learning how to be in this space.
Deb! Long time no see in the bloggy world. Blog name change too. I hope you are well. Quilty Hugs from the north.
ReplyDeleteA difficult but very necessary conversation. I am privileged to be EPOA for 2 unrelated people in my life and for a relative. I think it's better to know what they expect to happen than to not have that conversation. Get the ball rolling and out in the open.
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