Why we choose to talk about death and dying 

Death affects us all – every family, every community, every person – yet it’s still one of the hardest topics to talk about. Too often, these conversations are avoided or left until there’s no other option. 

At Avivo, we know this silence isn’t serving anyone. 

Every day, our teams support people through life’s biggest moments, including health changes, grief, loss, palliative care, and end‑of‑life decisions. While we’ve always worked with people until the end of their lives, we realised we hadn’t given this work the attention it truly deserved. 

Death and Dying Project

About two years ago, we began listening more closely. We asked questions and learned from real experiences of colleagues, customers and their families, and reflected on how we could do better.   

That journey became our Death and Dying Project. 

The idea behind this project was to learn how we could best support people at the end of their lives, as well as supporting those around them and preparing our teams to deal with inevitable outcomes. 

Through this work, we’ve developed clearer guidance around things like Advance Health Directives and a structured Death Review Process. Again, tough conversations, but ones that can be made to feel a little less daunting with the right guidance and support. 

One of the biggest learnings has been the importance of reflection. Our Death Review Process gives teams a safe space to acknowledge grief, share what they learned, and think about how care could be even better next time. It’s about learning and recognising the emotional weight of this work. 

We’ve also learned that preparation makes a huge difference in reducing fear and uncertainty for customers, families and colleagues. We can listen to and respect people’s wishes and do our best to honour these during emotionally demanding times. 

End‑of‑life care isn’t just about medical decisions – it’s deeply human and requires compassion and the courage to talk about hard things together. 

Work in progress

We’re grateful to everyone who’s been involved in this project and who has shared such personal experiences with us. 

This project isn’t finished. It’s a work in progress and we’ll continue to listen, learn, and improve our approach. 

You can learn more about our Death and Dying Project and explore helpful resources here.