A group in Sudbury is hosting something called a ‘Death Café’ in an effort to increase conversations about death and dying in a supportive atmosphere.
And organizers say they are overwhelmed with the amount of interest surrounding this topic.
Sudbury's ‘Death Café’ is being organized by Home Hospice North.
Facilitators, Bev Brisco, Lory Centis, and Joy Wirta, say this conversation is about educating people on the process of dying, as well as making people more comfortable about death itself.
“Just allow people to talk, bring things up that they may not be more comfortable to do anywhere else, letting them talk about dying and death, or asking questions that pertain to that." said Centis.
“We've lost track of how comfortable we should be with words like death, dying, it's part of life. If we're comfortable saying birth, we should be comfortable saying death, not ‘passed on’, not ‘transitioned,’ death." said Brisco,
Organizers say this conversation is open for everyone, whether you're currently going through a tough time or want to prepare yourself for the future.
“They have this better empowerment to be fulfilled about the process of dying. Maybe they've got a loved one going through palliative care, it could be possibly someone whose having an experience now, or just recently had someone die and they just feel they are alone." said Wirta.
Camille Lemieux is a professor in College Boreal's Funeral Director Course and says everyone has to die someday, and thinks this is a great way to make people more at ease with the subject.
“I think it's a wonderful occasion to demystify what is death. Many people are scared. It's very taboo, death. So, it's great for everyone to learn more about what death is, and what to expect once that time is near." said Lemieux.
Organizers hope to make the ‘Death Café’ chats a monthly event.
