About the event

Nurses are often alongside people and their families at some of the most significant moments in their lives, including when planning ahead, navigating a significant change in health, or supporting someone approaching the end of life. Nurses aren’t expected to be experts in every aspect of death, dying, grief or what happens after someone dies, but knowing where to confidently refer people for practical support can make a real difference.

Critical Info is a social enterprise founded by Catherine Ashton, shaped by lived experience following a serious car accident in 2019 and the death of her close friend in 2023. Critical Info provides practical, non-clinical resources that help people and families prepare, have important conversations and navigate the practical realities of death and end of life.

Its resources include the Don’t Be Caught Dead podcast, the National After-death Guide, My Loved One Has Died, What Do I Do Now?, and the Critical Info Resource Hub, connecting people with more than 300 trusted Australian organisations. These resources have been developed and refined through community engagement, focus groups and pilot programs across aged care and healthcare.

In this one-hour session, Catherine will introduce Critical Info and walk participants through these practical resources, showing how they can be used to support people and families before and after death.

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of where to refer people for practical, non-clinical information and support when questions arise around planning ahead, end of life, death and what happens next, without adding another task to their workload.

Key Learning Objectives 

• Recognise the practical information and support the needs people, families and nurses may have when planning ahead, approaching end of life, or after someone has died.
• Identify appropriate non-clinical resources and trusted organisations that can assist people and families with practical aspects of death, dying and what happens after death.
• Apply the Critical Info resources to confidently support and refer people and families to relevant information and services, without needing to provide specialist advice themselves.

About the speaker

Catherine Ashton - Founder of Critical Info

Catherine Ashton is the founder of Critical Info, an independent social enterprise helping Australians improve death literacy and plan for end-of-life with confidence. After surviving a major car accident in 2019 and losing a close friend in 2023, Catherine launched the Critical Info Platform—a secure, grief-informed planning tool used by aged care providers and communities nationwide. She also developed the national after-death guide My Loved One Died, What Do I Do Now? and hosts the Don’t Be Caught Dead podcast. A passionate advocate and award-winning social entrepreneur, Catherine works to ensure no one is unprepared for death.

Not an ACN member? Join ACN to attend this event for free and access the recording afterwards on the ACN CPD Centre.

By registering for this event, you agree to the registration terms and conditions.