Community wellbeing facilitators took part in end of life planning escape room as part of a unique Demystifying Death Week games event at Strathcarron Hospice.

Strathcarron partnered with CACE in Cumbernauld, Glasgow School of Art, School of Innovation & Technology and the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief partnership, to invite members of the community to take part in interactive ‘serious games’ designed to open up conversations about dying, death and grief.

The event showcased a range of interactive prototypes developed by Strathcarron Hospice in conjunction with CACE, students from Glasgow Art School and the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief partnership.

The games help open up challenging but fascinating conversation which can result in decisions about planning for death – how to prepare for that and how to communicate wishes to family, friends and community.

Susie Hooper from Pause and Breathe CIC, which runs wellness events across the Falkirk area, shared her thoughts on the ‘We Can’ game and how that would work with individuals they work with. She said: “Our participants come along and take part in physical exercises like yoga and they have built friendships and connections through that. The ‘We Can’ game would be a good accessory to give people the opportunity to see what skills and talents there are within the group and recognise in what ways they what they can support or help one another.

“It can show where there’s a block for someone and where another individual could offer their skills. Together we can be a real force.”

Rebecca Paterson, Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care who facilitated the escape room Powers, Puzzles and Prescience, as part of the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief initiative. She said: “Thanks to Strathcarron Hospice for inviting us to be part of the event today – everyone who took part has had a great afternoon of learnings and conversations. The escape room is all about super heroes, super villains, and planning ahead for ill health and old age. We had a really great afternoon.”

Linda Black from Strathcarron Hospice Compassionate Communities Team, said: “We would like to thank everyone who came along to the event. It was a really positive afternoon.

 “The aim was to generate conversations about a topic that can be taboo and uncomfortable for some people, with creative means to kick start those conversations.

“We found that as the afternoon developed and people started to chat, they were so deep in conversations they were forgetting to play the games – which was really lovely to see.

“There is strong evidence to show that conversations and planning can help those facing mortality as well as their family and friends.

“People can find it difficult to talk about these subjects for many reasons. They may not want to say the wrong thing, or cause distress, however events like this give people the opportunity to navigate challenging conversations through game play which and promote shared learning and experiencing. Ultimately these games are about the power of the community.”

“People can find it difficult to talk about these subjects for many reasons. They may not want to say the wrong thing, or cause distress, however events like this give people the opportunity to navigate challenging conversations through game play which and promote shared learning and experiencing. Ultimately these games are about the power of the community.

As a local Hospice charity, everything we do in our community is for our community, and with our community - to enable people to live and die well."

For further information about the event or about the games contact [email protected]

Published 8 May 2026