The granddaughter of a man cared for at Cynthia Spencer Hospice has shared how talking about death and dying made his passing more peaceful.

To mark this year’s Dying Matters Awareness Week (4–10 May 2026), which encourages open and honest discussions about end-of-life experiences, Sally Westley remembers her own experience of saying goodbye to her grandfather, Don.

Don, 92, died at Cynthia Spencer Hospice after a growth was found in his larynx.

Sally recalls: “I was quite distressed when I saw him at the hospice because he’d deteriorated so much in such a short space of time.

“I’m somebody who likes to know what’s going to happen, so I don’t have that shock, so the nurses took me to one side and explained the whole process and showed me the room where he would finally rest. They also wrote everything down for me so I could absorb what would happen. When he died, I actually found it to be peaceful.”

Sally said the invaluable support from the hospice staff for her grandfather and her family ensured that she could be fully present with her grandfather in his final days.

“They are not human at Cynthia Spencer, they are angels,” she said. “I thank my lucky stars that they looked after him, and us as a family.”

Don didn’t talk about dying with his family, so when he passed, other than knowing he wouldn’t want flowers – he instead had a Spitfire model and RAF flag adorn his coffin – Sally was at a loss as to his wishes.

Which is why she is now supporting the Dying Matters Awareness Week initiative, a national campaign led by Hospice UK, with the aim of creating an open culture in which people are comfortable talking about death, dying and grief.

“We knew he was going to die, but we didn’t really talk about it as a family,” said Sally. “When it came to arranging his funeral, none of us knew what he wanted, because we hadn’t had those conversations.

“People shouldn’t be afraid to talk about death and dying because it is going to happen to everybody. Death should be peaceful, and places like Cynthia Spencer Hospice can make that happen for families.”

Cynthia Spencer Hospice recommend everyone completes an Advanced Care Plan in order to provide clear instructions in the event of your death, or if you’re unable to speak for yourself.

An Advanced Care Plan offers people the opportunity to plan their future care and support, including medical treatment, while they have the capacity to do so.

To find out more about how to talk about death and how to make an Advanced Care Plan, visit https://cynthiaspencer.org.uk/how-to-talk-about-death-and-dying/

Pic shows Sally and Don Westley