Latest Death Cafe News
Practitioners question: DC location at funeral home
Posted by Paige Lewis on Aug. 23, 2015, 11:56 a.m.
I would like to ask those who have held groups at a funeral home or cemetery, how did that work for you?
I would ideally work with an untraditional funeral home. However, a traditional funeral home would also be educational for my group.
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Cali-Colombia
Posted by CALI-COLOMBIA on Aug. 22, 2015, 10:58 a.m.
How do we live the death of our loved ones? is it different if the person has died of natural or accidentally causes?, and with regard to my own death ... how do I want to be remembered? These were some of the questions that accompanied us in the third Death Cafe in Cali, Colombia. We also talked about how attachments, especially to life itself, can influence the experience of dying. During the meeting there were also dilemmatic issues that emerged such as the paradox of giving life through death when it comes to donating our organs, and the question of the value of life when it comes to ...
New Blog post: Honoring Advance Directives
Posted by Paula Schneider on Aug. 21, 2015, 1:41 p.m. 3 comments
I would love to receive feedback from others who are working in the end-of-life field. I recently gave a presentation to a group of professionals who work with doctors and hospitals (I do not). I was informed that doctors are more and more frequently refusing to honor a patient's advance directive, especially if the family steps in and wants a different course of action, even though they may not be the agents listed in ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Winnipeg
Posted by Death Cafe Winnipeg on Aug. 20, 2015, 11:24 a.m.
Another great afternoon gathering! We had about a dozen participants ranging iin age from 17 to 85..including 4 people under 30!
Wonderful free flowing conversation about personal experiences, cultural expectations, the relationship to the body after death, book recommendations..a lovely group of people sharing !
I love to see the cross-pollination of ideas, people exchanging phone numbers or email addresses to continue the conversation.
Thanks to all who came out on a beautiful sunny day !
Death Cafe write up: Blue Ridge Death Cafe
Posted by Blue Ridge Death Cafe on Aug. 19, 2015, 6:01 p.m.
The next meeting of the Blue Ridge Death Cafe will be on October 25, 2015 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM.
We will meet at the Old City Cemetery located at 401 Taylor Street in Lynchburg, VA. www.gravegarden.org/
Join us for coffee, a sweet treat and engaging conversation about death (and life)!
This event is free and registration is required. To register go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2365229
Thanks.
For anyone wanting to do something useful before death do consider giving a kidney.
An 85 year old did so last year!
5000 people with kidney failure in UK are waiting for one and 200+ die evry year for lackof a kidney.
Giving is no big deal for the donor ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe in Perth, Scotland
Posted by Rachel Weiss on Aug. 11, 2015, 7:30 a.m. 1 comment
We received two different reactions when we mentioned we were going to attend Perth’s first Death Café meeting which took place on the evening of Monday 27 April. Either raised eyebrows and an expression of it being an interesting idea or a frown and an exclamation of “Why?".
The reality was a very well attended event (about 30 people) and a convivial meeting where some deep and meaningful, but by no means downhearted conversation took place. Ages ranged from the early 20’s to over 70; people had travelled from Stirling and further afield and both genders were well represented.
It was very uplifting and heart-warming to ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe San Antonio
Posted by anabendana on Aug. 9, 2015, 1:58 p.m.
Death Café San Antonio was programmed at a public coffee house, for August 8th to join in Australia’s D2KD (Dying To Know Day). A few days prior the event our local newspaper wrote a small article, and a public radio station allowed us (interview) approximately 15 minutes in one of their afternoon programs. The response (via email) was extremely supportive and encouraging!
Twenty-three people showed at the appointed time. Some participants’ work with the dying in many different fields, others were there for personal reasons. Topics of conversation ranged widely from personal experiences, hospice, pain management, fear of death (and its many faces!), music-thanatology, funeral rituals, cultural ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe on Garnet, Westmere, Auckland
Posted by walesc on Aug. 9, 2015, 2:45 a.m.
What a super meeting we had today, full of laughter, authenticity and connectedness. Wonderful time, thanks everyone.
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Footscray
Posted by PetaMurray on Aug. 8, 2015, 11:58 p.m.
We had a wonderful turnout for the Inaugural Footscray Death Cafe, held at the Happy River Cafe in the grounds of the Footscray Community Arts Centre.
Twenty guests filled the long table, and after a bit of an intro, and an acknowledgement of the fact that it was also Dying To Know Day, we broke into two groups for conversation. And coffee. And the all-important cake.....
It was a pleasure to host the event, and I am delighted to announce an intention to host two further Death Cafes at FCAC. These will be on Saturday 29 August and Saturday 26 September. Precise details will be posted here soon.
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe in Plant City
Posted by Lisa Riley-Shepherd on Aug. 8, 2015, 2:09 p.m.
Our first Death Cafe had 7 participants, including the hosts. We came together from word of mouth, local weekly newspaper, area weekly newpaper, and the Death Cafe website. We spent time sharing our own unique experiences around death. It was an enriching, touching discussion that seemed to be enjoyed by all. We plan to come together and share our thoughts again in September.
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Cali-Colombia
Posted by CALI-COLOMBIA on Aug. 7, 2015, 10:38 a.m.
On this occasion four people joined us. It took us a little while to break the ice and warm up. However, as some concerns were resolved such as, What is a Death Cafe?, it made it easier to intervene, allowing the meeting to flow with an attitude of respect and good listening. The predominant topic was the narratives of death that had happened in the families of some of the participants. Also, there was a space to reflect on the influence that the Death Cafe has in the personal life of each one.
Thanks!!
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Winchester, VA
Posted by Mary Jane Lee on Aug. 3, 2015, 9:31 a.m.
The August 2, 2015 Death Cafe in Winchester, Va was attended by a dozen participants who created an environment of trust, sensitivity, and intelligence.
The dialogue centered around whether or not our culture is becoming desensitized or sensitized by the rampant violents deaths that are happening in our world at this time. We wonder how the media is affecting us, and whether the global community will be able at some point change the world view of what is acceptable behavior for humankind. How can we effect a paradigm shift?There was agreement that each person through intentional action and thought becomes a participant and there was consensus to ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe of Venice, Florida
Posted by Pam Schierberg on Aug. 1, 2015, 4:48 p.m. 2 comments
The Death cafe of Venice, Florida meets the third Saturday of the month from 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm at the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, Youth Room. In addition to great conversation on all topics of death and dying, we'll also enjoy refreshments- brownie bites, coffee, and tea. You are welcome to bring a treat to share as well. Hope to see you there! You may also follow our group on Facebook Death Cafe Venice, Florida
Death Cafe write up: St. George, Maine Death Cafe III
Posted by Sylvia Sienikehä Elysiana on July 30, 2015, 11:27 a.m.
Another beautiful gathering - 14 people gathered for the 3rd cafe in St. George. Tea, coffee and organic chocolate cake were served.