Death Cafe write-ups
At this Covid-influenced ZOOM Death Cafe, 15 people from around the country dropped by to experience one of our more conversational monthly virtual Death Cafes.
The participants explored, questioned, shared and sometimes laughed as they easily and warmly welcomed meeting one another openly.
There was genuine acceptance of the sentiments voiced.
While we discussed the possibility of returning to the "face-to-face, sit around the tables" Death Cafe of pre-COVID times, most agreed the ZOOM format is a comfortable one and one that introduces people from a wider geographic area (past ZOOM Death Cafes have seen visitors from Canada, Australia and Europe, as well as other states).
It's ...
Death Cafe Tunbridge Wells Online BST Write up
Posted by carmeldunmall on June 4, 2021, 5:14 a.m.
8 of us met on zoom from USA, Canda and the Uk.
The discussion was around grief, the openness of the group was touching and the conversation deep.
June Uptown Online Death Cafe CDT Write up
Posted by Death Cafe Uptown on June 3, 2021, 11:30 a.m.
Online Death Cafe Iowa CDT May Write up
Posted by DeathCafeIowa on June 2, 2021, 9:56 a.m.
For our May Death Café Iowa we met via Zoom. Buffy Peters from the Bereavement Professionals Group facilitated the group. There were three individuals who attended the Death Café this month which made for a small and intimate group.
The topic of one’s awareness around death was brought up. Pre-planning and the act of smart funeral planning is important for family members. Death Doolas can be part of the pre-planning for death. Some individuals do not want family members to be around them if they are sick and dying, which is where a Death Doula would step in and be that support system for the individual.
The ...
North East London Online Death Cafe BST hosted by Debbie Young & Alberta Gutteridge Write up
Posted by Debbie & Alberta on May 21, 2021, 8:12 a.m.
Swedish death cleaning. Just one of the topics that came out of my first virtual Death Café. Well never mind the virtual, my first Death
Café. It was planned to be a North East London gathering hosted by myself and Debbie, who is Death Café-experienced, but ended up
being a gloriously global affair with participants from yes, north-east London, but also Scotland, Ireland and Canada. Back to the death
cleaning or death decluttering. The idea behind it is to release the burden of your things from the loved ones you leave behind. ‘It’s a
loving thing to do for the people you care about.’ There was ...
April 2021 - Another energetic, enthusiastic, curious international group some who have attended my DC before and others new. They openly shared their experiences, questions and were so authentic in opening up about the topic many are 'scared' or adverse to talk about...death...dying. It was a wonderful one and a half hours . We shared information and stories about
- "being present' that dying and death is not all terrible, it can be profoundly beautiful ("the beautiful and terrible")
- demystifying death and dying and normalising it
- conversation starter tools
- that a life-limiting condition can give us an opportunity to discuss and plan our wishes, our funerals and better prepare ...
March 2021 - Another international group of wonderful people who shared their experiences so openly. I am always inspired to facilitate these events because we all share and learn so much! At this event look at what we covered in 1.5 hrs!!!!! Amazing !!!
Afterlife Discussions (YouTube)
Netflix - Surviving Death
What happens after we die (Sarah Kerr)
TED talk - I see dead people : dreams and visions of the dying
Atul Gawande's book and video Being Mortel
The Little Soul in the Sun
Dancing in the Dark book
The Nurmber one queston about the afterlife and reincarnation - Suzanne Giesemann
COVID-19 and rejoicing when people's health turns positive
The ...
Feb 2021 - Small international group but always interesting people attending this Death Cafe ... some of the topics discussed
related to conversation starters to engage those we love in having these important conversations. And thinking of
them as "important" conversations rather than labelling them "difficult conversations".
We spoke of funeral rituals and their importance and a funky bluetooth item called ModURN; mentioning The Kindnes
Pandemic on Facebook - engaging in positive stories; sharing with families about what is important with a special
mention of Christmas time and how to have the Xmas you always wanted; and sharing fondest memories (the 'gifts'
of love) and how one lovely lady had young ...
Death Cafe Tunbridge Wells Online BST Write up
Posted by carmeldunmall on April 25, 2021, 5:27 a.m.
8 of us met for a discussion that included someone considering suicide, the group were open to this conversation. We also discussed, dying at home and how this could effect our loved ones, dying in hospital and transportion of deceased loved ones back home following death.
Death Cafe Iowa CDT Write up
Posted by DeathCafeIowa on April 21, 2021, 10:16 a.m.
For our April Death Café Iowa we met via Zoom. Buffy Peters from the Bereavement Professionals Group facilitated the group. There were 7 individuals who attended the Death Café this month.
The first topic we came across was the idea of do I really know what I want towards my own death? A participant had shared that they had a near death experience that made them question if they really wanted what they had planned for their end-of-life care. This individual had asked for a Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR), but when the time came, was asking themselves if that’s what they really wanted. The conversation turned ...
Denver Metro Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Eeebee1981 on April 18, 2021, 4:08 p.m.
I wish I could have attended, but no access to the public.
Online Death Cafe Grimsby GMT Write up
Posted by Craig Doyley on April 14, 2021, 11:47 a.m.
The event went really well, only a few people there but the evening was enjoyed by all. It was also agreed by the group to now hold a Death Cafe every mounth.
Tucson Online MST Friendly & Fearless Death Cafe Write up
Posted by TucsonFFDeathCafe on April 2, 2021, 11:03 a.m.
Last Café we talked about vaccines. Our conversation ranged from happy to have had one, eagerly awaiting the opportunity, uncertain and waiting to learn more, to definitely no. This is exactly what I love about Death Cafes, civil conversation, welcoming all points of view, on meaningful life and death matters. Sometimes professionals come to Café and say they’ve come to “learn.” Café guidelines state clearly that besides no counseling or therapy, there is no education or content offered, and no agenda; Cafes are devoid of any particular point of view. So what is a Death Café? It’s an opportunity to come together, air ourselves out, hear ...
CVUU Virtual Death Cafe Write up
Posted by paulaechols on March 21, 2021, 9:14 a.m.
Our Death Cafe was attended by 19 people. We had people from other congregations as well as CVUU. There were attendees from the Hampton Roads area, Richmond, VA, and even Vermont! We had one tech person who managed the zoom break out rooms. We started at 7:00 by introducing ourselves and learning about the history and goals of the Death Cafe. At 8:15, we broke into 2 groups of 8 - 9 each where we discussed topics related to end of life. After an hour in small groups, we all joined back together in one large group to summarize and process. Feedback from participants was very positive ...
Hello fellow mortals!
Thank you to those who delved and dipped into our death discussions during the March Death Café – Hillsborough (DC-H) Zoom call! Welcome to the eleven (!) new folx! Zoom offers a different dynamic from meeting in person and allows people to participate from long distances such as, this time, New York, Illinois, Florida, Washington, and even Vancouver, Canada. It was wonderful having four university students join in as part of their Death, Dying, and Bereavement courses. One of them kindly emailed afterward, “I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed attending my first Death Cafe. It was so interesting hearing other people’s ...