Annual Report
A write up of U3A Joburg East Death Cafe
In 2019 we met once a month over tea and cake. Before lockdown we had twelve members with an average attendance of ten a month. Our last face to face meeting was in February 2020. We did not meet in March or April due to the COVID-19 lockdown. In May we agreed to continue our Death Café sessions using zoom and to meet virtually twice a month. Participants bring their own tea/coffee to the sessions. Regrettably only six of our members have the facilities to participate in virtual sessions.
Topics discussed over the period July 2019 to June 2020 include;
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How do I want to spend the rest of my life?
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Getting ready to die.
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What lifestyle choices do you want to make?
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What happens to you after you die?
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What do you talk about/do when someone close to you dies?
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What is the to die conversation?
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Who do you know who has died and come back?
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The effect of COVID-19 on end of life expectations.
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What can we do with the rest of our lives? How our perspectives on time left have changed with COVID-19.
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COVID effects on dying. Reducing expectations on the time we have left.
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Communication beyond the grave.
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Our legacies. How we would like to be remembered.
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Do the dead want us to stop grieving for them?
Penny Mackrory