Don't Be Caught Dead: Grief, Loss, Death Literacy and Getting Prepared
After surviving a serious car accident in 2019, and then losing a close friend suddenly in 2023, Catherine Ashton discovered a hard truth: most families have no plan for death, and they pay for it in confusion, stress, and decisions made in crisis. Don't Be Caught Dead exists so yours doesn't have to.
Each episode is an honest, often deeply personal conversation, with people who've lived through grief, sudden illness, and caring for a dying loved one, alongside experts in aged care, palliative care, estate law, funeral planning, and financial advice. It's a show for anyone quietly aware they're becoming the one responsible for a parent, a partner, or their own end of life planning, and who wants to feel ready rather than blindsided.
Got questions after listening? Join Critical Chat Tuesdays, free, no-pressure conversations every Tuesday at 7pm where you can ask anything or just listen. No planning required, just come as you are:
https://criticalinfo.com.au/events?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=general
You'll also pick up the practical groundwork here: how to prepare a will, appoint a power of attorney and enduring guardian, set up an advance care directive, plan a funeral in advance, and navigate the health and legal systems families are so often forced into with no warning.
The free Critical Info Platform can help you turn any of it into an actual plan, and if someone close to you has just died, our guide "My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?" walks you through the immediate steps.
Hosted by Catherine Ashton, founder of Australian social enterprise Critical Info.
Learn more: www.criticalinfo.com.au
Don't Be Caught Dead: Grief, Loss, Death Literacy and Getting Prepared
Compassionate Communities: Why We Need Each Other at the End of Life with Professor Samar Aoun AM
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What if the future of end-of-life care doesn't lie in hospitals, but within our communities?
In this episode, I sit down with Professor Samar Aoun AM, internationally recognised palliative care researcher, Founder and Chair of Compassionate Communities Australia, and one of Australia's leading voices in grief, bereavement and public health approaches to end-of-life care.
Samar shares how the death of her father and the contrast between community support in Lebanon and Australia inspired her groundbreaking research into grief and bereavement. Her work challenged traditional thinking and demonstrated that 90% of people cope with grief through the support of family, friends and community, while only 10% require professional intervention.
Together, we explore why Australia is facing a demographic "tsunami of death" as the population ages, why our health and aged care systems are struggling to keep up, and how compassionate communities can help people live, die and grieve well.
We discuss the importance of rebuilding death literacy and grief literacy, why caring networks matter, and how simple acts of kindness can transform the experience of caring, dying and grieving.
What you'll hear in this episode:
- How Samar's personal experience following her father's death shaped her life's work
- The groundbreaking grief research that found 90% of people rely on community support
- Why grief has become overly medicalised and what this means for society
- What compassionate communities are and why they matter
- Why Australia is unprepared for the coming "tsunami of death"
- The gap between where Australians want to die and where they actually die
- How the Compassionate Connector program reduced hospital admissions and improved social connectedness
- Why building your caring network before you need it is essential
- The difference between transactional care and relational care in aged care settings
- Practical ways every person can become part of a compassionate community
You may not be ready to die, but at least you can be prepared.
Take care,
Catherine
Connect with Professor Samar Aoun AM
Learn more about Compassionate Communities Australia: https://compassionatecommunitiesaus.org.au/
Learn more about Professor Samar Aoun's work at the Perron Institute https://www.perroninstitute.org/research/research-groups/samar-aoun/
& the University of Western Australia: https://www.uwa.edu.au/
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Professor Allan Kellehear – internationally recognised pioneer of the Compassionate Communities movement and public health approaches to palliative care. His work inspired much of the global compassionate communities movement and Professor Aoun's own research.
Learn more: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/k/allan-kellehear/
Professor Bruce Rumbold OAM – Australian researcher, educator and leading advocate for public health approaches to palliative care, bereavement and death literacy.
Learn more: https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/bdrumbold
Compassionate Cities: Public Health and End-of-Life Care by Professor Allan Kellehear
Book information: https://books.google.com/books/about/Compassionate_Cities.html?id=wvNOP8hpEk4C
We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text :-)
Death is hard, make death admin easy with the Critical Info Platform.
It’s a simple, secure system that helps you prepare and share your legacy, wishes and personal paperwork.
It’s packed with prompts, guides and even a To Do List to help you easily gather critical information for a complete end-of-life plan.
Leave behind a legacy, not a mess.
Sign up now to your free trial at critical info.com.au
No credit card needed.
Every Tuesday at 7pm, I host Critical Chat Tuesdays —
free, online conversations where you can ask questions or just listen.
No pressure.
No expectation.
Because this isn’t about planning for “someday” —
it’s about being ready for whatever life throws your way.
Join anytime at criticalinfo.com.au/events
MY LOVED ONE HAS DIED, WHAT DO I DO NOW?
Our guide, ‘My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?’ provides practical steps for the hours and days after a loved one's death. Download it here.
SUPPORT SERVICES
If you're feeling overwhelmed by grief, find support through our resources and bereavement services here.
Support the 'Don’t Be Caught Dead' podcast with a one-off or regular donation to help Critical Info, a certified social enterprise, keep creating free, high-impact conversations about death, grief and planning—every contribution fuels our mission to reduce the burden on families and build a more death-literate, compassionate community. Donate here now.
Learn more: https://criticalinfo.com.au/
Connect with Don't Be Caught Dead podcast host Catherine Ashton & Critical info on socials:
https://linktr.ee/catherine_critical_info?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=c1879300-84db-4c70-9270-18d17d3ec22a
Music composer: Ania Reynolds - https://www.aniareynolds.com/
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