Death Café in Canterbury June 30th 2015 at Caffe Nero
A write up of Canterbury Death Cafe
By AdrianAdams
Our second Death Café had a smaller turn out than our initial meeting. We had a number of apologies, although we also welcomed some new members with an age range of between 20 and 80.
In spite or perhaps because of the smaller number we had a more focused discussion that centred on the topic of how we can prepare ourselves and others for our own death. We shared personal experiences and explored a number of issues including: different and shifting cultural, gendered and generational expectations about familial responsibilities, independence and the willingness to give and accept help towards the end of life.
We talked about the need to take responsibility for our later life by having conversations with partners and families about putting plans and arrangements in place well in advance; so as to ensure, as far as it s possible, that our own death and legacy is what we would wish it to be.
We also considered how social attitudes towards disability intersect with an ageing society where the very old may experience extended periods of frailty and impairment; and how we respond to both the practical and emotional dimensions of dying.
We agreed that we would hold another death café in the autumn. Please do contact us if you have any suggestions about a venue, time of day and topics for presentation / discussion.
Contact: A.Adams@kent.ac.uk
See more at: http://deathcafe.com/deathcafe/1785/
Google: Death Café Canterbury
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