Drink tea. Eat cake. Discuss death.
These are the three ingredients that make up the global phenomenon known as Death Café, a movement New Westminster will be joining next month. Heritage Grill on Columbia Street will be hosting the inaugural event on May 13, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
“It’s a place people can talk about their experiences around death and grief,” organizer Corinne Dixon told the Record. “It’s not taboo anymore. People are hungry to talk about it. It’s the one thing we’re all going to deal with.”
More than 1,400 death cafés have been held in 26 countries over the past three years, according to the local resident.
“They’re on the rise because we don’t have the tools, or the community, or the permission to even talk about it. We don’t know how to say things to one another,” she said of what for many is an uncomfortable subject.
The hope is that by listening to others share their stories, people will be more at peace with the idea of dying, and live a fuller life as a result, Dixon explained.
“As people sit down then the barriers are gone because we’re together, we’re a community and we all have something in common,” she said.
Dixon’s also encouraging people who work in the medical field to attend, arguing many doctors don’t receive specific training when it comes to this topic.
“They’re faced with the responsibility of saving lives at any cost, so to even start that conversation … They’re in a kind of superhero position where they can’t even bring it up because their hands are tied.”
Dixon added by not having an open dialogue, many people are left unsure what their loved one’s wishes are for end of life.
“All of a sudden, you’re standing outside an ICU with a doctor and a family member making a decision, and you don’t even know what they wanted because you never got to have the conversation,” she said.
The evening’s format is simple: casual and non-directed. Dixon will open with a few remarks and let the conversation “flow.” The Death Café, she noted, is not a grief support group where people can expect “focused therapy.” It is, however, “a safe place with no agenda.”
Admission is free, but space is limited. If there’s enough interest, Dixon said she’ll be in talks with Heritage Grill about hosting it every four to six weeks.
A Swiss sociologist by the name of Bernard Crettaz has been credited with pioneering the concept of the death café. He hosted a “café mortel” as part of his research in 2004.
For more information, call 604-351-0465 or email [email protected]. Heritage Grill is located at 477 Columbia St.
