Death Cafes provide an informal opportunity 'to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives'. They are group directed discussions of death with no agenda, objectives or themes.
People are often surprised by the touching, useful and quite often light-hearted conversations. As a society, we rarely discuss death, even though the inevitability of death is the only thing we can predict in life. A Death Cafe is a useful forum for everyone. For any human being, no matter what their stage in life, an awareness of the presence of death can help us live our lives more fully. Consideration of and planning for 'end of life matters can lift a real burden from our family and friends.
They are life-affirming events, but sensitive discussions are of course possible so please bear this in mind. Participants in a recent cafe held in Camberwell described the gathering as 'welcoming, thought-provoking, supportive, positive, friendly, honest, safe, disinhibiting, helpful, clarifying, open and revealing'.
Everyone is welcome and the event is FREE, but you must book a ticket in advance via this link
These are discussion groups rather than grief support or counselling session
Ann Kenrick is founder of End of Life Matters. She has considerable experience of End of Life issues personally and professionally as CEO of the charity, the Charterhouse, supporting older people with housing and care needs. She is also a member of the End of Life Education Committee at St Christopher's Hospice.
