'TALKING HEALTH'

DEALING WITH

BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF

 from 6PM - 8:00PM (Melbourne time)

click here to access podcasts of selected previous programs

At some stage we will all face the death of someone close to us and we will all feel the pain of grief. Strangely unlike all other things in life that are difficult, dealing with bereavement isn’t a topic you learn how to deal with at home or school, until it’s upon you.

Then suddenly its – how do I organise a funeral ? How am I going to tell people ? And then there is the legal stuff the will, finances and estate.

Death is dealt with differently by different cultures, some are open and noisy, some drink copious amounts of alcohol but we often just say nothing.

When we lose a loved one feelings sweep over us like a tsunami and the waves keep coming at odd times.

Friends don’t know what to do and may be  paralysed by not knowing what the right thing to do  is -  Should I call, is SMS too impersonal, do I send flowers or a casserole ?

Bereavement and grief is  the last bastion of taboo topics and its time to talk about it

MY GUESTS

JANE TEWSON, CBE  is the co Author of Dying to Know -  bringing death to life.  In Jane’s career spanning over 35 years, she has founded five charitable initiatives, all of which are thriving today: Charity Projects (1984), Comic Relief (co-founded 1986), Pilotlight UK (1998), Timebank (1999) and Pilotlight Australia which she founded in 2001 and which she currently directs. 

Jane is well known for pushing the boundaries of philanthropic thinking and creating a new concept of charity as active, emotional, involving and fun.

In March 2000, Jane was heralded by The Times newspaper as one of the top ten innovators of the 1990s in the UK. Indeed, under her direction, Comic Relief (Red Nose Day) became a UK phenomenon and last year alone raised over 50 million pounds in one day. In 2007 she was included in The Bulletin Power 100 – the 100 most influential people in Australia.

Pilotlight in Australia is a catalyst connecting people for social change – building bridges and working alongside business and community groups to encourage engagement, ‘out of the box’ thinking and to spark long-term working relationships where both parties benefit from mutual support.

Contact details :  Pilotlight 03 9822 5800       click here to visit pilot light

The  book Dying to Know  was first published in November  2006 and it is a ground breaking celebration of life through 60 observations about mankind's most shared yet unspoken experience: death. Why then, do we find it such a difficult subject to talk about? Through startling images, challenging words and striking insights, Dying to Know cuts through the taboos to place death firmly in the cycle of life.

Quirky without being irreverent, accessible without being glib, and challenging without being disturbing, the book allows a way for families, friends and the media to frame an ongoing conversation about the nature of living and the reality of dying in a way that is engaging rather than depressing.

Pilotlight believes that renewing the conversation about death and dying can help build supportive communities. It can inspire change for the living by genuinely connecting people on the most profound level, not as experts,  but as people with the same dreams, hopes, fears and concerns.

CHRISTOPHER  HALL  is  the Director of the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement,. He is a psychologist specializes in  grief and bereavement. Chris has trained many health and education professionals in grief theory and interventions both in Australia and overseas. He has a strong interest in child and adolescent grief, traumatic and complex bereavement experiences and the organisational impact of grief and loss.

The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement is an independent, not for profit organisation which opened in January 1996 and is the largest provider of grief and bereavement education in Australia. Registered as a public benevolent institution the Centre receives operational funding through the state palliative care program of the Victorian Department of Human Services.

Its mission is to build the capacity of individuals, organisations and communities in order to enhance well-being following adverse life events.

 click here for to visit the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement

Bereavement Information and Referral Service - phone 1300 664 786

BARBARA ALLEN is an ordained minister from the Uniting Church in Australia.  She was appointed as Chaplain for the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in August 2006 . This is believed to be the first appointment of its kind ever in the world

The Chaplain will be available to arrange funeral and mourning ceremonies as required, to train volunteers to run a telephone Helpline and to promote the vital importance of the human animal bond. She is  involved in the development of academic research in areas such as grief associated with animal  loss.

 Click here to visit Lort Smith Animal Hospital

WES HERITAGE is the President of the Australian Funeral Directors Association.

Formed in 1935, AFDA is the only national funeral service organisation with member firms in every State and Territory. The Australian Funeral Directors Association develops and promotes professional standards in the funeral industry

AFDA members are bound by a strict Code of Ethics and Practice designed to meet both community needs and expectation in all aspects of service delivery. The code is a reassurance to the community of sincere care and professional service, particularly at a time of uncertainty and distress for grieving family and relatives. www.afda.org.au

DAVID RANSON  is the Deputy Director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Forensic Medicine at Monash University and the Director of the National Coroners’ Information System. He is a specialist in forensic pathology and clinical forensic medicine with a strong professional interest in Medical Law.

Click here to visit the VIFM

Click here for more info on Organ donation  and the organi donation register

CATHERINE GALE  is a collaborative family lawyer and mediator. In her practice she has dealt with people experiencing the grief and loss associated with separation and divorce for over 30 years.

 Cathy is a former President of the Law Institute of Victoria, and Director of the Law Council of Australia. Today her practice specialises in assisting couples going through separation, to find co-operative solutions to their problems, in a way that maintains  their dignity, protects their children and preserves their assets.

click here to find out more about Catherine’s practice 

click here to visit the Victorian Law Institute 

click here to see the Law Institutes page about wills  

click here to see the Law Institutes page about power of attorney

click here to visit  Victoria's Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages info on death registration