We're all going to do it, but how much thought have you put in to your death? And just as importantly, have you talked to anyone about it?

A small, but dedicated, group of locals have formed the Dying Matters Coalition which aims to deal with this issue head on.

In recent decades death has become "medicalised" according to Palliative Care Nurse, Funeral Director, and now Dying Matters Coalition spokesperson Stephen Oldham.

"If you go on the internet and look at 'symptoms of people dying' there'll be 40,000 hiuts on pain, and there'll be three on lethargy and anxiety," he said.

"Pain is managed by prescription drugs, whereas the others are managed by time, and human contact, and spirituality.

"De-medicalising someone's death is the biggest challenge."

Mr Oldham said dying in hospital is not the only option available to those who are in need of care during the final days, weeks, or months of someone's life, and that research suggested the majority of people wanted to die in their home.

"About 70 per cent of people wanted to die at home, but in reality only about 40 per cent actually did. And a lot of the stuff that prevented them dying at home related to stuff that could be easily fixed if they identified it early enough.

"The sooner you engage with palliative care the better," he said.

But Mr Oldham highlighted a scarcity of palliative care in the Douglas region meaning people needed to travel significant distances to Gordonvale, south of Cairns, for appropriate care.

"We remove people from their communities, we place them two hours’ drive away, and Gordonvale do have a nice visitor’s accommodation, but that's not your dog, that's not your neighbour.

"Invariably, what is driving people into hospitalised care, or aged care, or inpatient care, or going to Gordonvale is that it becomes too hard.

"The vast majority of symptoms coming up aren't that people had intractable pain, or that their symptoms are too difficult to manage, it's more the simpler stuff; isolation and loneliness, pooing in the kitchen, stuff that could be easily be managed.

"It could easily be cured by a social worker or nurse, somebody who has that palliative care approach. Who knows what's coming for people and steps in at the right point and says 'let's give you a hand.'"

Social worker Nicky Terry-Beitz has also joined the Dying Matters Coalition and identifies another challenge faced by our community.

"There is a gap in the communication between different services. You might see your GP for something, but the GP only manages so much. Then you might go to Blue Care because they'll do your personal care, and then you might go to your church. There is no communication across the borders to share in people's best interests," she said.

Mr Oldham said his ultimate aim is to see a full time staff member in Douglas focussing on palliative care and co-ordinating the services available to those in need.

Dying Matters Coalition are working with Mossman Hospital to revamp a small part of the hospital to provide a comforting environment for people who are facing death, or even family and friends who need time out from caring for their loved ones.

"Let people feel like they've got a choice at a time when they feel they've got no control over anything in their life," Ms Terry-Beitz said.

"If you support the family then the person that is dying does okay. But if you just deal with the person that's dying and not the family then it doesn't work. It has to be holistic and that's why we need more resources.

"It's about building strength in the community, that's what we're doing. Everybody in this community will experience grief at some point. That's the one thing we've all got in common."

If you're interesting in finding out how you can become involved in the Dying Matters Coalition email info@dyinglocally.com.au or visit their website.