Death Cafe write-ups
An engaging and varied discussion was had between the 11 people who attended this Death Cafe in the Learning Studio of St Albans Museum + Gallery.
Death Cafe North Canterbury Write up
Posted by Death Cafe North Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand on Sept. 10, 2023, 8:50 p.m.
We held our monthly Death Café North Canterbury – it was a thoughtful meeting again with seven of us; we discussed funerals and who are these really for – and does it help with grieving? We discussed NODA - have you heard of this? It’s an innovative project from up north (although an age-old concept) – No One Dies Alone. It gave us all food for thought!
Stay well and keep talking, Liz :)
Kaiapoi Library 1.30 pm: November 19th
Rangiora Library 1.30 pm: September 17th
Amberley Library 2 pm: October 29th (date change)
Death Cafe at St. John Fisher University Write up
Posted by lmaccammon on Sept. 10, 2023, 11:25 a.m.
Death Cafés are non-profit community events that provide people with a safe, respectful, and comfortable place to talk about death and dying over coffee, tea, and delicious cake. There are no scripts, no themes, and no agendas. The objective is “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.”
Based on the work of Swiss Sociologist, Bernard Crettaz, the first Death Café was started in the UK in 2010 by Jon Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid. In 2012, hospice social worker, Lizzy Miles, was the first person to offer a Death Café in the US. Since then, the ...
City of Roses Death Cafe Write up
Posted by nomenoyou1 on Aug. 29, 2023, 3:56 p.m.
Today we discussed a wide range of topics including dealing with funeral homes when overwhelmed with grief and the importance of planning for our own death and leaving clear, readily accessible information and instructions for our families (passwords, insurance, bank accounts, what to do with our body . . . Once again we acknowledged the difficulty of discussing death given that it’s seems to be a taboo topic—several people voiced heartfelt gratitude for this opportunity to discuss death openly and calmly. Several people said that discussions with adult children can be difficult. One participant described the valuable services provided by a death doula for their dying spouse and the ...
Virtual Death Cafe Iowa Write up
Posted by DeathCafeIowa on Aug. 22, 2023, 10:31 a.m.
We had a virtual Death Café meeting on August 15, 2023 via Zoom. Buffy Peters from Hamilton’s Academy of Grief & Loss was our facilitator. There were a total of five people who joined Buffy online.
While many topics were discussed during this meeting, we also spent time sharing links for various death related topics. We spent time discussing how different cultures have different customs regarding home deaths, including a conversation regarding if you would be comfortable purchasing a home that someone has died in. We bounced to talking about laws pertaining to families handling funeral services in their homes and what is required for that.
We also ...
Death Cafe Whangarei Write up
Posted by Jo Moselen on Aug. 12, 2023, 11:03 p.m.
Once again we held our death cafe at The Fat Camel cafe which unfortunately was very cold which was commented on in the feedback. Not such a good venue in the winter. The conversation flowed and included medical assisted death, natural burial, supporting people who are ill, dying and grieving, suicide and personal stories of death experiences. The feedback overall continues to be positive a with comments such as "good conversation, respectful listening, conversation flowed and lead us in different directions"
There were thirteen people in total with one person attending for the first time.
Death Cafe Capitol Hill Write up
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on Aug. 9, 2023, 9:06 a.m.
The second Death Cafe of 2023 at Congressional Cemetery drew two dozen people on a gorgeous spring evening. We split the group as the numbers rose and half met in the chapel and half outdoors. Participants enjoyed sweet treats offered by Congressional Cemetery staff and baked goods from participants.
Both groups had lively conversation touching on: letting go of expectations of reconciliation and ways to find conciliation before and after death of a loved one with whom the relationship was challenging, having conversation about dying and death with family and friends who are reluctant to speak on the topic, suicide as an option for the terminally ill, the ...
Washington DC Congressional Cemetery Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Laura Lyster-Mensh - HCC on Aug. 9, 2023, 9:02 a.m.
Our 4th death cafe of the year was held on August 8 in the cemetery’s historic chapel. The weather was warm but a welcome cooler respite from recent steamy and stormy evenings here in Washington DC. The cemetery staff put out a lovely spread of sweet treats, and iced tea to welcome participants. As always a few curious dogs ran into the building to see what was going on.
Twenty or so people gathered in a circle in the one-room chapel led by guest facilitator, Liz Gregg, a longtime Capitol Hill resident and end-of-life doula who works at Capitol Hill Village as Director of Volunteer and Care ...
Glasgow Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Bob Stoner on Aug. 8, 2023, 9:50 a.m.
The Swedish term "döstädning" means 'death cleaning'. Before you prepare the swabs and disinfectant, it is more about the graceful art of decluttering the house...before someone else needs to do it. Death Cleaning is proposed for all those 65 years and above. but why not start earlier? This isn't a long weekend but a guided time of going through each room and discerning what should stay and what might need to go to be recycled, given away or even (sadly) discarded. But what criteria might we use to guide us?
How do you do this?We thought today, at Death Cafe, of whether "Will ...
City of Roses Death Cafe Write up
Posted by nomenoyou1 on July 30, 2023, 8:14 p.m.
Our July City of Roses Death Cafe was filled with beautiful insights, exchanging of resources, and personal storytelling. There were a total of 14 of us in attendance -- our largest group yet! A few topics that came up in discussion were the evolution and impacts of the funeral industry on our society, alternative and eco-concious burials, the language we use to discuss death and dying, and what it means to die a "good death".
Looking forward to our next Death Cafe on August 26th at the Leaven Community Center. Hope to see you there!
Death Cafe North Canterbury Write up
Posted by Death Cafe North Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand on July 30, 2023, 7:07 p.m.
Death Café in North Canterbury recently, in Amberley (16.07.2023)
We held our second Amberley Death Café North Canterbury – it was a quiet, intimate and tender meeting, four of us talking about connecting, why we don’t talk much in society about death and dying; and the purpose of a funeral. loud, busy affair!
It was a reflective and inner feeling that stayed with me throughout the rest of the day.
Stay well and warm; and keep talking, Liz :)
Kaiapoi Library 1.30 pm: August 20th, November 19th
Rangiora Library 1.30 pm: September 17th
Amberley Library 2 pm: October 29th (date change)
We had a great group, as usual. Topics were diverse. We pondered the question. What do you call "heaven" in your culture?
Books and Poems were also shared and discussed.
5 Days in Heaven: A Conversation with God. (book) by Jay Bowen-local from LaConnor, WA.
A poem: For the Dying by John O'Donohue
I look forward to our August meeting.
Glasgow Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Bob Stoner on July 11, 2023, 11:07 a.m.
No the bread hadn't gone mouldy. It is wonderful when our conversations can include multiple cultures and how they can change our perspective. So, today from UK and Chinese cultures, we saw the way that humour rarely gets a look in when talking about death - until you get to a Death Cafe. We noticed that it can be a great release to possibly write a letter to the deceased, explaining the differences from the past, and possibly burning it and put that into the grave. We, again, wondered whether it was a good idea to cover the coffin with the lid as although we could see our ...
Death Cafe North Canterbury NZ Write up
Posted by Death Cafe North Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand on July 4, 2023, 4:53 a.m.
We held our second Rangiora Death Café North Canterbury – it was a loud, busy affair! We were a group of 9 and noises were made when we discussed the eye-watering prices of funerals. We talked about many different options, shopping around and talking through what is wanted, what matters and just exactly who is the funeral for.
It was a great discussion about the practicalities of life and death – and certainly sent me home with plenty of homework and research to do.
Stay well and warm; and keep talking, Liz :)
Kaiapoi Library 1.30 pm: August 20th, November 19th
Rangiora Library 1.30 pm: September 17 ...