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When a loved one or close friend dies, there are many practical matters to deal with – giving notice of death, funeral arrangements, and all manner of things that are very emotional and sometimes quite jarringly 'clinical'. More often than not, you're shell-shocked, not quite yourself. It's a very difficult time.

At the Catholic parish of Our Lady Star of the Sea in Whitley Bay near Newcastle, they have developed something special: a Consolation Team that walks alongside grieving families during one of life's most challenging moments.

For this 'Art of Dying Well' podcast, we talk to parish priest Monsignor Andrew Faley whose primary concern is to best meet the needs of his parishioners at this difficult time. He is very collaborative with the lay people in his community and sidesteps the common approach of "Leave it to Father" when it comes to funeral planning and accompaniment.

The Consolation Team grew naturally from the parish's pastoral care work, and we're delighted to be able to talk to two skilled parishioners from the team who work closely with Fr Andrew - Joe and Pauline.

Parishioners tend to have been in parishes rather longer than priests, and relationships have often built up which can be very helpful in supporting grieving families.

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In this episode, Professor Sonia Kumar, founding Executive Dean of Medicine at St. Mary’s University's new School of Medicine, shares her vision for a more compassionate, values-driven approach to medical education.

She discusses the importance of human connection, spirituality, and supporting both patients and doctors through death, dying, and grief.

With moving stories from her career as a GP, Professor Kumar explains how the new school will prepare future doctors to care for the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — during and at the end of life.

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The world is aging rapidly. People are living longer. Everyone wants their death to be calm, peaceful and reconciled - ideally at home, and in the presence of family and loved ones.

End of life care, and in particular, specialised palliative care, is increasingly important and can radically enhance quality of life for both patients and their families. But how can you explain the merits of this compassionate care when in some countries, the sheer mention of the D-word is so taboo it can be interpreted as wishing ill on the very person you want to help?

This is the case in parts of East and South East Asia. Many countries have reached, or will soon reach, super-aged status. That is the UN definition for a country where over 20% of its population is aged 65 or older. Singapore is projected to become a super-aged society in 2026, so extolling the virtues of palliative care in a culture that would, perhaps, rather not have the conversation about death and dying is a significant challenge.

For this Art of Dying Well podcast, we speak to Dr Su Lin Yeo, an Associate Professor of Communication Management at Singapore Management University. Professor Yeo has conducted ground-breaking research on palliative care communication in Singapore. We have a fascinating discussion about how cultural taboos in Asian societies about death and dying can make for difficult end-of-life conversations. We talk about how Professor Yeo's research has provided valuable insights that have improved communication strategies on this tricky subject.

We also investigate how knowledge, attitude, and receptiveness can inform public health communication and advance the understanding of palliative care in Singapore.