In November 2022 the Chai in the City Open Group for Punjabi men met virtually to discuss the topic of the End of Life Care. Here are some reflections from the brilliant team who facilitate and contribute towards those conversations.
This month the online forum topic for discussion was ‘a conversation about end-of-life care’ a very sensitive subject the took into consideration the experience of how we look after our loved ones and sharing of personal experiences.
As always, the forum had three questions to help guide the discussions;
- How have you/your family or community been impacted by someone passing?
- How do Punjabi communities view death/end of life?
- Do we need to look differently at how we view it?
This was a very personal and sensitive session with people sharing their own experiences and thoughts.
We were fortunate enough to have people from a wide variety of experiences and knowledge to share in the discussions which created a safe space not only to reflect on experiences but also discuss the issues involved in end-of-life care. The group explored some of the current pathways of end-of-life care as well as reflecting on the cultural and religious influences on end of life.
There were some challenging conversations where we explored the subject and people’s views on this sensitive subject. Also, consideration on how things could be different, and what influences as individuals we could have on this. There were also discussions about how the changing living arrangements of the community (location etc) and how this is challenging some of the traditional ways care was delivered within the family unit.
What was felt by all was this was topic not often discussed openly, possibly ever, and if it is discussed tenders be at the time rather planning for the future.
The forums are a great safe place to explore issues that have an impact either directly or indirectly to our wellbeing. Participating in the facilitated spaces are a great opportunity to share and hear about a range of subjects, and we are always keen to hear from participants about subjects for future forums.
