Nurse trains taxi drivers to talk about dying

A palliative care nurse is working on a campaign with taxi drivers to help people feel more comfortable talking about death and dying.

Across parts of the UK, Northamptonshire nurse Alex Curzon from the bereavement charity Sue Ryder has been training taxi drivers as part of a national effort to encourage open conversations about end-of-life wishes.

The initiative comes as research from the charity suggests many people find it easier to talk to strangers than to family members.

Speaking to BBC Northampton, Curzon said: "[People] find it more comfortable [to talk about death] with people who aren't going to be linked with them... like taxi drivers."

She added: "We believe it's because they feel like they can open up a bit more to them."

The study found that 44% of people in the East of England feel more comfortable discussing dying with someone they have just met.

It also showed that 42% have already had meaningful conversations with strangers before speaking to relatives.

Curzon said taxi drivers involved in the scheme had "really enjoyed" the connection they built with passengers.

She said some drivers reported passengers being unusually open during journeys, including conversations about their own funerals, because the driver was an "impartial" presence.

"We don't know what's going to change in our lives, so we just want to be saying let's be open about death and dying," Curzon added.

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