Death – now that might seem like an odd follow on from last weeks blog about asset based approaches and neighbourhoods. However, going back over the thirty or so projects that we commissioned following on from ‘Only Footstep Away,’ I’d sort of forgotten that a number of them focused on looking at how to support the sharing of knowledge and skills in neighbourhoods by people and for people at the end of their lives.
What struck me most of all was the short sketch by Pen Mendonca about this work. In the sketch Pen explores one persons end of life story, looking at how those around them found a way to share their knowledge and skills about gardening with their neighbours, and at the same time know that their own garden was being looked after. The thought that even at the end of their life someone had skills and knowledge to share is such an important thing to hear, and something that we don’t treasure enough. Just because someone is unwell, coming to the end of their life and may need lots of physical and emotional care support and treatment, doesn’t mean they don’t have much to give and pass on from a lifetime of learning and participating in life.
In an earlier piece of work I was part of a team of social care and health colleagues developing a comprehensive framework of principles to support end of life care training and education across social care and health. What struck me during this work was how workers in social care and health found it hard to talk about death. Even though they were much more likely than most of us to be supporting people at the end of their lives. If that was the case for social care and health workers, then what must it be like for those of us for whom end of life is a fairly infrequent part of our lives.
This led me to think again about the skills and knowledge that people at the end of their lives have to share with their neighbours and communities and how sharing that knowledge and skills can have a positive impact. Perhaps this kind of mutuality might help break down some of our fears and misunderstandings about death?
Whilst in Pen’s sketch the person shared their gardening skills and knowledge, and in return could see that their garden was being well cared for. Those supporting that person also gained a greater insight into a person’s end of life journey, and at a later date were able to share their own new knowledge and skills with a wider range of people. This celebration of knowledge and skills for a person at the end of their life and for those around them in their neighbourhood is very important. It’s a way of celebrating someone’s one live, by keeping them alive through the things that they have taught others. Giving us the chance to share that knowledge and skills with others and pass that knowledge and skills to others in our neighbourhood. Is there a better way to come to terms with your own death and for others to come to term with your death too.
I have to confess death is something that I think about a fair bit. As someone with a life limiting condition, I know that one of the things that matters to me is how much of my own life knowledge and skills I can share with my family and friends going forward. It’s not something that causes me manic stress. It is something through which I find calm certainty. Just as this person did through their gardening. Though I wouldn’t suggest that I have much knowledge and skill in gardening to share… 🙂
JIm Thomas
November 2024
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