The CareSearch Project will run Dying2Learn over 5 October to 2 November this year, a free online course that helps Australians feel more comfortable talking about death and dying and engage with issues arising at the end of life.

Dying2Learn has been running since 2016. Professor Jennifer Tieman, Director of the CareSearch Project, says it is important to be able to talk about death and dying.

“Talking about death and dying is hard for many among us. But if we don’t have these conversations, people in our communities who are ageing, caring for someone at the end of life, living with a terminal illness and dying, or grieving over the death of loved one may end up isolated and unable to share what is happening to them,” Professor Tieman says.

“Dying2Learn hopes to enable our general community to have those conversations. Our research and evaluation of previous courses have shown that participants gained greater understanding and acceptance of dying and death after the course.

“For health professionals, Dying2Learn has been helpful in improving their confidence and competencies in handling issues they face when caring for patients at the end of life.”

This year, in addition to covering changing perceptions, portrayals, and issues around dying and death, Dying2Learn will feature interactive resources and insights from guest presenters. It will be facilitated by the same team of experts with all discussions conducted in a respectful manner.

Dying2Learn is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. For more information, visit caresearch.com.au/Dying2Learn.