End of Life Project resources
Councils Engaging Communities Until The End Forum
This MAV Forum for local government officers, held on 24 October 2019, presented end of life and compassionate communities ideas, strategies and actions in local government and in the community.
Presentations included: the diversity of ceremonies and rituals around death; engaging communities; integrating end of life and compassionate communities into council business.
Dying To Know Day 2019
Dying To Know Day is held every year on 8 August. The MAV has commissioned resources for use by councils as they program activities and events for this year, and in upcoming years. We encourage all councils to plan an event or activity for next year.
Information
Introducing and informing council staff and councillors around the project and end of life are provided below.
- Local Government Resource Kit - March 2020 (PDF - 2.3MB)
- Key messages for communication (PDF - 587KB)
- Starting End of Life conversations within your council (PDF - 1.17MB)
- Introducing the Victorian Councils: Supporting Communities Around End of Life Project presentation for councils - Jan 2018 (PowerPoint - 9.50MB)
Tutorials
Video tutorials to assist councils in exploring the context and opportunities around the end of life project are available below.
- Opportunities for Local Government around end of life – Jan Bruce, Municipal Association of Victoria (12:12 minutes)
- An Overview of Palliative Care in Victoria – Mike Kennedy, Palliative Care Victoria (17:06 minutes)
- Compassionate Communities – History and overview – Dr Bruce Rumbold, La Trobe University Palliative Care Unit (18:12 minutes)
- Public Health Approaches to Bereavement – Dr Bruce Rumbold, La Trobe University Palliative Care Unit (19:04 minutes)
- What’s required for more people to be cared for at home; the role of communities around end of life – Andrea Grindrod, La Trobe University Palliative Care Unit (20:02 minutes)
Strategies and actions
Preview our strategies and actions for council resources below.
- Ideas for Seniors Festival (PDF - 309KB)
- Why include 'end of life' in local government health and wellbeing planning? (PDF - 469KB)
- Potential roles and initial actions for councils (Word - 49KB)
- Summary of the Community of Practice session for council officers (Word - 60.7KB)
- Arts and Community Events Around Death and Dying – Art Gallery of Ballarat (19:36 minutes)
- City of Banyule 'End of Life Think Tank' (PowerPoint - 3.92MB)
Capacity building and support
Find resources around building community strength and capacity to support people in the community experiencing dying, death and bereavement below.
- Conversations: Creating Choice in End of Life Care (PDF - 4.56MB) – Melbourne: Australian Centre for Health Research, 2016
- The GroundSwell Project – taking a cultural shift in the way Australians respond to death and grief
- Safeguarding the End of the Rainbow (PDF - 827KB) is a guide to help LGBTI people plan an end of life of their choice produced by COTA Victoria and Transgender Victoria, March 2018
- Grief: It’s not something you have to ‘get over’ (Like Minds EP.12) BBC Short Stories – a short YouTube video presents what grief is, that it's very individual for all of us and why you don't have to "get over" it
- Across New Zealand, seniors are forming DIY ‘coffin clubs’ to cope with death and loss while bringing some fun and personality to their own final journey. Hear the story of the Kiwi Coffin Club in this charming docu-musical
- The Healthy End of Life Program (HELP) – offering, asking for and accepting help enables communities to support local people who wish to receive end-of-life care in their home.
- Gather My Crew is an online rostering tool that allows you to ‘Gather’ or (ask for) the practical help you need from your ‘Crew Members’ (friends, family, neighbours and colleagues) and lets your ‘Crew’ decide when and how they will help.