About Living Well Dying Well ™
Where it began
Our Story
In 2007, Founder Hermione Elliott, began to run a series of public workshops called Death Matters and What is a Good Death. She recognised a need to encourage people to consider death and dying as an inevitable part of life and an important subject for everyone.
Initially, Living Well Dying Well ran workshops for therapists and health practitioners working in end of life care settings, so that they could feel more comfortable and knowledgeable around death and dying in their professional roles. However over the years this training has evolved and has developed into citizenship courses, so that deeper learning and understanding around death and dying can be accessible to all.
Participants shared their experiences, hopes and fears and many described a loss of confidence and skills to support friends or family in death. Others expressed regret at the lack of opportunity to encounter it in a natural and normal way, as one of life’s most profound events.
It became clear there was a need for support and companionship at the end of life – a non-medical, non-professional role - a person to hold the wisdom, able to inform and advocate for others.
This led to the development of the first End of Life Doula Training in 2010.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to transform the way dying, death and bereavement is considered; educating and empowering people and communities through person-centred learning and training. We aim to create a world that incorporates and embraces death as a natural and normal event, approaching it with understanding, openness and hope.
Our Impact
Why we do what we do
We’re committed to making conversations about death easier, kinder, less frightening and crucially not just in the hands of professionals – more in our own hands too.
When death is thought of as dreadful, painful and something to keep at a distance, it becomes socially unacceptable to talk about it, and if you do, you might be called morbid.
It's not uncommon that thinking about, talking about, planning for and encountering death can be fearful. Our experience is to the contrary, we find people very eager to talk and share their experiences. We also know that irrespective of social roles and occupations, with encouragement, information and confidence-building, everyone can have a useful part to play in bringing death out from hiding, being up-front and supporting wellbeing at the end of life.
Wonderful people from all walks of life, many of whom do not have a medical or care background, realise that death is a profoundly important and human event and feel they have something to contribute – practically, emotionally or spiritually.
Doulas or companions, who have trained with us, love the idea of people-meeting-people, they know how even in the midst of dying and death, compassionate support and friendship networks can be created, helping families in the smallest ways feel better able to cope.
A short message from Hermione
Discover more about our Training Courses
If you're looking to join our community and interested in beginning the enriching journey of learning, sharing and understanding more about death and dying, whether for your own personal education or if you have the intention to become an end of life companion or doula, please find out more about our courses here.
