After talking with a lot of front line workers and other APTs, the best way I can see people coping currently is to take this all one day at a time and not to try and take on too much. I’ve been the most upset about work, largely about speaking to relatives about their concerns.... Continue Reading →
Not Such a Wonderful Christmas Time
I am all too aware that Christmas can be a time when the pressure to be having a great time can be overwhelming. I know a large number of people who don’t find this time of year exciting or fun, for a number of reasons that can include a bereavement in the past around this... Continue Reading →
Tools, Organ Blocks & Getting in the Hallowe’en Spirit
Noticeably it’s been getting busier in the mortuary, just like it’s been getting darker and colder in the evenings. We’ve not been short of work at all, while also trying to streamline some processes and make ourselves more efficient. Our manager would like us to get into the habit of working in certain ways that... Continue Reading →
Death Cafe, The London Podcast Festival & a Very Important Question
The fourth Upminster Death Café, which is our fifth that we have hosted and was somehow, utterly unintentionally, an all-female attended event, which I think definitely influenced the mood of the evening. By this I mean that I feel it allowed the people there to open up a bit more about some of their personal... Continue Reading →
Brains, Books, Bodies & More
Ahhhhh I have so much to tell you all! Be prepared for a complete update summary; possibly quite lengthy and I’m not sure where to begin, so here it goes! The latest Brain Count (the number of brains successfully removed by myself) is at a healthy 42. I’m well on my way to my aim... Continue Reading →
Working with Death, Talking about Death, Listening about Death, Thinking about Death
I found myself yesterday having surrounded myself in death. I realised that I not only went to work at the mortuary as usual but also helped present a talk about end of life care, showed around a student nurse interested in our work, came home and listened to the Griefcast podcast, watched Disney's Coco with... Continue Reading →
Griefcast: Let’s Talk About Grief!
There’s something about grief which makes it odd. Like death, it’s something we all experience at some point in our lives. Grief can be feared, it can be hated, and yet it is certainly expected. It’s something we often not only fear for ourselves, but also for others around us. We fear that we might... Continue Reading →