National Palliative Care Week, from 10 – 16 May, brings conversations about palliative care and end-of-life care into the spotlight.

This year’s campaign ‘Getting to the heart of it: Big Questions. Real Answers.’ is designed to make palliative care easier to understand by encouraging honest questions and responses.

Palliative care is person and family-centred care provided for a person with an active, progressive, advanced disease, and for whom the primary goal is to optimise the quality of life.

It helps people live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible when living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, and identifies and treats symptoms which may be physical, emotional, spiritual or social.

Local palliative care nurse and death doula, Rose Sexton, is encouraging locals to have tough conversations with their loved ones, even though it can be uncomfortable.

“Death touches all of us, whether it is our parents, grandparents, friends or neighbours," she said.

"When we do not talk about it, it can lead to unnecessary fear, anxiety and grief.'

According to Palliative Care Australia, 73 per cent of Australians say they are open to talking about advance care planning, but only 33 per cent have undertaken any form of advance care planning.

Rose has seen firsthand the impact of avoiding these conversations can have on families and carers.

“If there is an undercurrent of fear or an inability to talk openly, carers can miss the chance to have important conversations with their loved one," she said.

"That can make grief more complicated and more painful after the person has died."

Good2Go Project's Death Cafes, informal gatherings that create a safe, non judgemental space for people to talk openly about death, dying and the bigger questions about life, are held at Old Faithfulls Brew Bar on the third Monday of every month from 10am to 11:30am.

The Good2Go Project is also presenting a series of "Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest" workshops are aimed at people who have received a life changing diagnosis.

The workshops are free, however, there is an accompanying workbook offered at the discounted price of $10.

More information about Death Cafes, workshops and other community events can be found by following the Good2Go Project on Facebook or visiting g2gproject.com.au.