Dying Well Initiative
2020 Trends
TREND 1: More Use of Technology during End of Life
We’ll see a rise in tech-enabled businesses around death and dying as well as grief. More and more companies are emerging. An article for Vox publication written by Eleanor Cummins from January of 2020 titled, “Why millennials are the ‘death positive’ generation,” provides a detailed explanation and overview. Robotics, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) solutions will be rapidly supporting all areas of grief and death, especially given the fact that with the population aging comes the population dying.. As mentioned in the link below, VR is now being used by hospice and hospitals to offer relief to terminally ill patients and those living with dementia. A charity hospice in London offers dying patients the opportunity to run with wild horses in Iceland, go skydiving, or tour Venice’s canals aboard a gondola, all without leaving their beds.
https://www.death.io/can-virtual-reality-help-those-who-are-dying/
https://www.digitalhealth.net/2019/10/virtual-reality-used-to-help-manage-pain-at-london-hospice/
TREND 2: Conversations about Death/End of Life Will Increase and Become Normalized
In many cultures, there is resistance, or even silence, to conversations surrounding dying, death and grief. We predict that as people begin to engage in activities such as living funerals, death dinner parties and death cafes, conversations around death, dying and grief will become normalized.
https://www.dyingmatters.org/page/TalkingAboutDeathDying
https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2019-global-wellness-trends/dying-well/
TREND 3: Green Burials on the Rise
In these troubling ecological times, many people are turning to greener options post-death. Not only is it better for the environment, but it is also a much more personalized and cost-effective manner to say goodbye to loved ones.
https://funerals.org/?consumers=green-burial
TREND 4: The Use of Death Doulas
In North America and Great Britain, there is a rise in the existence of death/end of life doulas. Similar to a birth doula, this person will assist a dying individual and, typically, also the family before, during and after a death occurs in order to provide physical, emotional, psychological and even spiritual support.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_midwife
https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2019-global-wellness-trends/dying-well/
TREND 5: More Grief Support in Hospitality and the Workplace
As the wellness world begins to speak about death and grief more openly, many hospitality groups shall grasp the importance of grief retreats and look at extending their wellness offering to include such programs.
https://www.healingholidays.com/blog/coping-with-grief-and-loss
Likewise, with the recognition that grief costs employers billions annually, and bereavement takes more than a few days, often months or even years, employers will create more flexible and supportive benefits related to family loss. https://grief.com/grief-in-the-workplace/
The Global Wellness Institute serves as an umbrella organization for numerous Initiatives, that are independently chaired and run. The resources, editorial, research and opinions presented by the Initiatives do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Global Wellness Institute.
