List making catches on for future plans

A campaign to help people share their wishes for life and death is continuing in Cumbria to provide a virtual place to leave plans for the future. The "My Life, My Death" wish list was launched as part of the National Dying Matters Awareness Week and has seen the Director of Public Health for NHS Cumbria, Prof John Ashton lead the way by publishing his top ten things he wants to achieve in his lifetime, as well as five important wishes for his death - these include playing Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan at his funeral and having a green burial on his own land overlooking the Lake District.

While some people have posted their wish list on social media sites, including NHS Cumbria’s Facebook page and Twitter, others have printed off the template to complete their hopes for the future and left them in a safe place where family and friends can read them, and learn what they want from life.

Top of many wish lists is to visit exotic places, including  the Norwegian fjords and the American Rocky Mountains.  A large number of those responding place in their  say top 10 wishes for life is to see their grandchildren marry and to read all the books on their Kindle or beside the bed.

How you live and die is important, and sharing your wish list with friends and family can help you get what you want before and after life, and make a positive difference to those you leave behind.

Dr Geoff Joliffe, Lead GP for End of Life Care said: “It’s vital that we are honest with our friends and family and talk to them about our wishes for not only our lives, but also our death or if we become seriously ill.

“If we don’t tell people what we want, then how can we expect to get the care we would like? We need to stop thinking about death as a taboo and get talking.

“The My Life, My Death wish list is a way of having your say in how you will be cared for and letting the people close to you know what you want to happen at the end of your life. It can be a starting point for one of the most important conversations you may have.”

For more information on sharing you’re "My Life, My Death" wish list, downloading a template or reading other people’s hopes visit the events page on the news of NHS Cumbria’s website and click on Dying Matters. Alternatively visit the NHS Cumbria Facebook page or Twitter account @NHSCumbria.