Researching the end of life and bereavement in Australia today

What is it like to approach the end of life in Australia today? Or to care for someone at the end of their life and beyond? This new research project aims to find out.

What shapes people’s experiences of the end of life, and how have they changed in recent years? In this project, we (a team of social researchers from The University of Sydney) will use interviews, diaries and photographs to document and analyse death, dying and bereavement in Australia today. In the wake of COVID-19, and with Australia’s ageing population and other types of social change, we think it’s important to hear from people with first-hand experience. We hope our findings will help improve policies, services and care, and contribute to more productive conversations around death, dying and bereavement.

More about this project

Led by a team of researchers at The University of Sydney, and funded by the Australian Research Council, this project takes a person-, family- and community-centred approach to how death, dying and bereavement are lived and experienced in Australia today. Using interviews, diaries and photographs, we will take an in-depth look at what matters to people at the end of life and how people give and receive care.

Project updates

Want to find out where the project is up to and what the team has been working on? We will update this site with information about study recruitment, findings, events, articles and other plans.

Interested in taking part in this study?

As part of this project, we will be speaking to people who are approaching the end of their life, to their family and friends, and to people who have been bereaved. Before you decide if you want to take part, we will tell you more about the project and what is involved.

Find out more about participating in this research and then contact us by email if you think you would like to take part.