Co-creating end-of-life choices education: A process description of a program to explore community death-literacy in preparation for voluntary assisted dying.

Abstract

Background: The increasing availability of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) signifies a major shift in how communities perceive and experience death. Access to VAD can be seen as a new step in the shared meaning-making through which communities respond to death and dying and a new opportunity to engage communities in developing death literacy. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) VAD legislation took effect in late 2025.

Objectives: This paper describes the initial co-creation of a multi-phase project (Getting Ready) seeking to develop end-of-life choices education in partnership with ACT communities.

Design: A co-creation process involving researchers, healthcare and community organisations and community members.

Methods: A participatory action research paradigm was used. This supported a local approach to co-creation developed in accordance with the principles and stages described by Vargas et al. and Roper et al.

Results: Key resources and communities including priority populations with structural vulnerabilities were identified. Inter-relationships and shared values between communities were analysed and utilised to support the fostering of connections. The scope of the collaboration and key contributors to safe engagement were defined. Specific approaches to supporting community participation in Getting Ready were designed, including the development and training of community facilitators to support priority population involvement in the project.

Conclusion: Co-creation is a useful mechanism to enable community engagement with the development of projects and resources focused on end-of-life choices education. These approaches support the inclusion of priority populations in death literacy research and resource development. Death literacy is a safe and useful concept to explore within community education development in an environment where VAD has been recently legislated.