DEATH is a fact of life few of us feel comfortable facing. Ten years ago a group of volunteers banded together in Melbourne to try and change that.
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The Groundswell Project coined the term, "death literacy", hoping to spark conversations and debunk the mystery of death.
Dying to Know Day emerged from that grassroots project, according to spokeswoman Holly Rankin-Smith. "We want to normalise death," she says.
Death literacy means we taking responsibility for our own deaths, from planning for a time when we may not be able to take responsibility, through to making a will and organising our own funeral.
Ms Rankin-Smith says the best time to plan for our own deaths is when we are "active, well and young".
An initial step is organising a will - a legal document that sets out how you want your assets dispersed upon your death. According to the NSW Trustee and Guardian, just under half Australians do not have a will.
Experts strongly advise us all to write a will, since dying without one (intestate) may bring distress to surviving loved ones.
Appointing a power of attorney is also wise for a future time when you may not be able to manage your own affairs. The final step in putting your affairs in order is appointing an enduring guardian, who will make health and lifestyle decisions for you should you lose that capacity.
"It's definitely better to plan ahead," Ms Rankin-Smith says.
