KAREN VAN DYKE

I pioneered the Death Cafés in San Diego as a community service, in May, 2013 joining more than 600 other Cafes worldwide. The concept is built on the premise that many people want to talk about death, but cannot address it with family and/or friends.  My desire to provide this service came from a need that I saw while running my company, Senior Care by Design, a placement service for seniors and their families.   People don't talk to each other about death so when they do get older there's no financial, spiritual or legal plan in place as they age...so, the Death Cafes seemed like a perfect place to ignite these important conversations.  My belief is that if we talk about death we will make the most of our finite lives.