Confronting death: How Vienna struggles with farewell and the end of life

Confronting death: How Vienna struggles with farewell and the end of life

On November 5, 2025, a topic that is often swept under the carpet will be addressed in Vienna: coming to terms with one's own mortality. Whether due to the loss of loved ones or questions about pandemic-related health risks - awareness of one's own transience has increased in recent years. Loud MyDistrict you begin to increasingly prepare for your farewell in the colorful city.

The topic of death and dying is often perceived as unpleasant and is left out of many conversations. Younger generations in particular tend not to think deeply about how Deutschlandfunk culture reported. It is important to deal with the end of your own life early on and to take precautions, for example by filling out a living will.

Enlightenment and self-determination

Experts such as Robert Roßbruch, lawyer and president of the German Society for Humane Dying, emphasize the need for information about one's own wishes and ideas about the last phase of life. Because many people are less afraid of death itself and more afraid of how they might die. The discussion about palliative medicine and the possibility of a self-determined end to life is gaining momentum.

Over half of people die in hospital or nursing homes, while many wish to die in a hospice. In order to take these wishes into account, an open exchange about death in medical facilities is essential, criticizes palliative care specialist Alexandra Scherg.

The role of living wills

A survey currently shows that 46 percent of 16 to 29 year olds feel unprepared for end-of-life care. This shows how important it is to take precautions such as living wills. These regulate which medical measures are desired or rejected and are binding for doctors. Emergency ID cards can also represent a practical addition to these regulations.

Another important aspect is power of attorney, which makes it possible to entrust trustworthy people with health decisions. Such steps help to better deal with the end-of-life questions that are unpleasant for many.

The social tendency to treat the topic of death as taboo also has an impact on the training of nurses and medical students. A well-informed society could reduce fear of dying and lead to a respectful approach to one's own mortality.

How the reality of the end of life will develop in the next few years remains exciting. What is certain is that the dialogue on these essential questions must not stop. Viennese people are invited to deal with these topics and thus perhaps have a good hand for the last years of their lives.