Death Cafe Brisbane
A write up of Death Cafe, Brisbane, Queensland
By Beth OBrien
We have a wonderful and diverse discussion tonight. We spoke about the new Threshold Choir in the city of Brisbane who sing as volunteers to people who are dying. We had some people who were foreign nationals now working in Australia who asked about how Australian funerals happen. The interesting topic of roadside memorials, usually crosses, were important to families and friends, and how in different countries differing symbols were used to display.
One of our attendees is a researcher working on the topic of visual art around funerals, so that brought up the topic of selfies, pictures of dead people, videos at funeral ceremonies.
We talked about the film Denise: Circle of Blessing about a dying lady talking through her experiences.
Stephen Levine's book a Year to Live was also discussed.
A couple of emergency department doctors were present and we asked them about their work when people die, and the support they receive.
Comments
Legal Forms
It depends on where you live--if in U.S., which state. I suggest starting with an advance directive, at minimum. A regular will is recommended, but not mandated by law, at least in the U.S. Some people are preparing their own obituaries ahead of time--again, not mandated by law. Some others I know have written a "vidui," a few pages of thank you's to various people, etc. This document can really say anything you want it to. The idea is that it can be read back to you, at the bedside, as you are near death, or before. I also recommend thinking about how you would rate success in your life, perhaps listing the values or attributes you wish to be remembered for, writing them down, and beginning to live those values now. That's about all I can think of other than a Do Not Resuscitate order. This should or could be done if you become very ill and you know you do not wish to have CPR attempted on you. Every state in the U.S. seems to have a different idea about which form the DNR should be on. And, in the U.S., it is always a doctor's order, meaning it must be signed by a doctor or D.O. The Five Wishes document (an advance directive) is legal in most U.S. states. Hope this is helpful!
Posted by Paula Schneider
Resources
Could you point me to what forms and legal documents it would be good to have in place before death? Hopefully it will be 15 to 20 years before it happens, but one never knows.
Posted by Cooran