Purpose & Values
Conversations around death are siloed…
…it’s time to join them up.
Dockleaf Conversations is founded on a single belief - that everyone has the right to a ‘good death’ in whatever way is right for them. It also recognises that dying is a process that often affects more than the person at its centre. This thinking lies at the heart of the Dockleaf Conversations dual-purpose:
To enable people at end of life to have the best death possible in accordance with their wishes.
To support those around them to be able to close down a life as easily as possible and minimise the administrative burden placed on them so they can experience grief without this additional stress.
The Silo
Conversations around death are currently siloed; generally speaking, the willwriter does not speak to the clinician who does not talk to the funeral director and almost nobody is discussing digital death in a tangible or meaningful way.
Furthermore, many people are never introduced to the topic until it becomes one of urgency. This compounds the negativity and stigma around exploring the topic and undermines the agency an individual has around their own end of life – options that may otherwise have been available to them are never explored and the end result is that a person may experience a lesser quality of end of life, and subsequent death, than was possible.
In order for this to change, we need more a more holistic and cohesive approach if we want things to change.
The Solution
Joined up and open conversations, the documenting of wishes and time for supportive reflections can all be facilitated through End of Life Planning.
It gives agency to the individual preparing for their end of life, reassurance to those around them who may be asked to make decisions for them and ultimately enables a constructive and supportive process that facilitates a community dedicated to ensuring every person has the best death, dying and bereavement experience possible for them.
Whilst significant changes are required for this to happen, Dockleaf Conversations seeks to contribute by inviting people to think about planting ‘TULIPS’, and start joining these conversations together one petal at a time.
Dockleaf Aims
Awareness
To raise awareness of what End of Life Planning is, the benefits of making a plan before it is needed and the practicalities of where to start.
Education
To provide programmes of education to facilitate increased confidence and decision-making around End of Life Planning.
Community
To build a community of people dedicated to exploring holistic, open, non-judgmental conversations around death and dying.
Dockleaf Values
> Trustworthy
> Reliable
> Understanding
> Transparent
> Honest
Dockleaf Philosophy
At its heart, Dockleaf Conversations is built on the idea that our unwillingness and fear to talk about end of life matters is unhelpful but if we are willing to embrace and ‘normalise’ these conversations, then we can reduce confusion, anxiety and overwhelm and replace them with compassion, connection and collaboration, ultimately leading to a better death and dying experience for everyone.