“Our ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life to the very end. You may not control life’s circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them. And in stories, endings matter.” Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End.
For many, it is the last taboo. No-one can escape it, but many of us don’t even consider it. We’re talking about the one inevitable, death, on this week’s Joining the Dots. Julie is joined by death doula, Mandy Carpenter, to discuss what it takes to have a good death and to find out why she decided to undergo the training for her role.
Mandy is one of a growing number of people in the UK to join what she calls ‘the movement’ of people keen to support others in their final days and hours. She is a member of End of Life Doula UK a network of people who have made it their mission to work with individuals and their wider circle of family and friends to ensure their end of life is what they want it to be.
We also hear from some of the women who featured in our special International Women’s Day shows here on Hospital Radio Glamorgan, including Esme Allchurch, wife of the late Ivor, one of Wales’ greatest ever footballers; Jayne Ludlow, former Wales Women’s manager and one of Wales’ most decorated footballers and from Fiona Hughes of series four of The Traitors, the BBC show that catapulted her to fame.
And we also find out more about the Tenovus Cancer Care Strictly Speakeasy event which is happening in Cardiff next Friday. There are still a few seats available, so if you love a bit of sparkle and you like to mix with the starts, two of Strictly Come Dancing’s finest will be present. You can find out all the details HERE.
Joining the Dots is broadcast at 5pm every Monday and is also available on our REWIND service and in podcast format via your podcast providers, including Spotify and Apple.
