What is Plenna’s agenda and long-term vision?

Death and dying have universal relevance, and yet effectively supporting people to prepare for and manage these issues receives limited attention. Plenna’s agenda is to provide clear, personalized and evidence-based information on preparing for the end of life.

Plenna’s long term vision is set out in its Theory of Change, at the foot of this page.  It has the targets of 10,000 people completing the Die Well Questionnaire by the end of 2025, and a million by the end of 2027. 

The 2022 Lancet Commission on the Value of Death observes, “Data collection systems to understand care provision, costs, and outcomes (including where people die) are necessary to build effective health systems but are lacking, especially in low-income and middle-income countries.”  The same could be said of the data available on the important topic of people’s preparation for end of life. It is hoped that the data gathered by Plenna will contribute, modestly and in part, to address the dearth of internationally comparable data and help to build knowledge and solidarity.

What data are collected by Plenna and for what purpose?

Plenna seeks to inform and connect people and initiatives for public benefit.  The Die Well Questionnaire requests a minimum level of personal data, never shared apart from with the user, and aggregated and anonymized, as noted in Plenna’s Privacy Policy.  The data will be a basis for analysis, research and advocacy.  Plenna hopes individuals and other organizations will promote its questionnaire and, depending on the availability of resources, that the number of operational languages with grow and a second more detailed questionnaire might be developed – all in order to link more people to appropriate services.

What is the greatest challenge to Plenna’s establishment?

Organizations working on supportive and evidence-based approaches towards death and dying tend to receive limited investment.  It is a challenge to obtain funding as the 2022 Lancet Commission on the Value of Death notes, “many questions around death, dying, end-of-life care, and grieving have not been answered, but little funding is available and much remains to be done”.  Broadly speaking, the 2023 OECD report ‘Time for Better Care at the End of Life’ also notes, “there is room to prioritise the effective distribution of resources in end-of-life care and promote the design and implementation of more evidence-based policies”.

Plenna is resolutely non-profit and endeavours to be independent.

How is Plenna funded and resourced? 

To date Plenna has received limited seed funding towards the cost of professional website and database development.  All other work has been voluntary, thanks to many contributors. 

Donations to Plenna of any amount are very welcome to help the organization to continue and expand its work and approach, including employing paid staff.

How and where does Plenna obtain its information?

Plenna identifies existing initiatives related to death and dying, mainly featured in the country signposts, through research and recommendations.

Plenna admits no responsibility or liability for content. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information provided by other bodies, and we are not responsible for use of the information contained or linked from any material.

The Die Wise Questionnaire has been developed and tested with experts and people of various nationalities and cultures to try to ensure maximum pertinence and universality.  The team of native-language-speaking translation validators aims to ensure materials, particularly the Snapshots, are culturally appropriate.

Please contact us if anything on the site is missing, out-of-date or misrepresented, which we will review and update as appropriate and quickly as possible.

Does Plenna replicate existing work?

Most initiatives on death and dying are national in scope.  After two years preparing, researching and working on the issue, the Committee believes Plenna’s international and multilingual approach is unique and fills a gap.

Information on Plenna’s website, as well as the advice provided to those completing the questionnaire, is deliberately concise – facilitating reproduction in multiple languages.  It seeks to signpost, facilitate comparison and guide rather than replicate, giving a stepping stone for further individual engagement and application.

Does Plenna support assisted dying? 

As Plenna is non-political and non-religious it does not take a position on assisted dying; if relevant, it provides neutral references to services and debates in its country signposts.  For more information, this 2024 report by the Nuffield Trust “explores assisted dying policies across 15 jurisdictions in 9 countries, highlighting practical and operational differences in implementation, and how these systems have evolved.”  The laws around assisted dying are subject to frequent review, amendment and development of interpretation or application.

How does Plenna engage with other wider questions around death and dying?

Plenna’s primary focus is on the practical and administrative aspects of preparing well for death and dying.  Plenna therefore acknowledges – but engages less directly with – the wider landscape of experiential, emerging, and philosophical questions that exist in public dialogue, such as near-death experiences and transhumanism.

Plenna’s Theory of Change

Situation	The frequent unwillingness to engage with death and dying creates unnecessary suffering.  Many people are unprepared for the end of life – practically, emotionally, and spiritually.  This leads to stress and anxiety, unfulfilled wishes, and unnecessary financial and legal complications.
Aims	To inform and help equip people to better accept, consider and proactively plan for dying and death, whether for themselves or their loved ones, and whatever their situation or age.

Inputs and activities	Outputs	Change mechanism	Outcomes	Impacts
Inputs  Investment in a website and database (including a questionnaire and factsheets) along with coordination and communications, evaluation and intellectual support. Activities Provision of information, and customized and scored questionnaires (repeated to monitor progress) for individuals.	Increased individual awareness of end-of-life readiness gaps. Individuals take initial steps in legal, financial, and medical preparations. Communications and discussion across multiple forms of media on the importance of end-of-life planning.	Questionnaire scoring system with reassessment, which gamifies the process and encourages ongoing engagement. Viral sharing is encouraged. The database tracks users’ progress. The model and messaging of Plenna provides a data-driven approach to advocacy and behaviour change.	Short term  Greater completion of essential end-of-life documents. More open conversations about death, reducing stigma and fear. Long term  Strengthened relationships and emotional closure. Improved mental well-being through acceptance and reduced anxiety.	Reduced family conflicts, financial burdens, and legal complications. More individuals experience a dignified, and meaningful end-of-life transition, with less traumatic bereavement for their loved ones. A societal shift toward proactive end-of-life planning. Reduction in taboo around death and dying, and less unnecessary suffering.