Death looms above all, and sometimes it’s important to discuss the great beyond.
At Nipissing Serenity Hospice, you can do just that, and over some light refreshments to boot. Yes, discussing death can be awkward, as the subject remains taboo, and it’s difficult to raise the matter, especially to those who are close to passing. That’s why the hospice hosts the Death Café, and it’s not as morbid as you may imagine.
Lillian Cozac, the Volunteer and Support Coordinator for the hospice, noted the event “Is really important for us, especially at the hospice, because we deal with individuals and their families at end of life.”
Cozac continued, “We often find that people come to us, and we start asking those questions about what they want or how we can best support them in their end of life journey.”
The idea for the Death Café, where folks can gather and discuss mortality, was developed by John Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid, inspired by the work of Bernard Crettaz. The two create a model for others to follow, and pointers on how to break the ice and get conversations flowing about the touchy topic.
Since founding the free series of workshops, many others picked up on the model, and to date there have been just under 20,000 gatherings in over 93 countries. The founders noted on their website that, “A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.”
Further, “Our objective is to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.”
Cozac emphasized the point that this is not a grief support group, although the hospice does offer those as well. The Death Café offers a supportive, confidential environment for people to begin a dialogue about death. Also, Cozac noted that the Café may not be a good fit for those who have just experienced a loss, and who may be intensely grieving, as the topics broached may dig a little too deep.
Often, people wait until it’s too late to broach these topics, Cozac added. “All of a sudden, we may be faced with that one day, whether its our own demise or that of a loved one and having those conversation at that time is just incredibly difficult.”
“So, we want people to be able to have comfortable conversation before they’re actually faced with it,” Cozac continued.
She also reminds people that all of the services at the Nipissing Serenity Hospice are free, a point which is sometimes overlooked by residents. There are eligibility criteria to spend your last days at the hospice, but the services offered are free. The hospice is a charity and relies on some government funding to carry on, but mostly from community donations.
See: Powassan family gives big to Nipissing Serenity Hospice
The next Death Café takes place at the hospice this Thursday, November 28th, from 6 to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free, but you must register by contacting Lillian Cozac at (705) 995-3377 ext. 1203 or [email protected], as space is limited.
Cozak also assured that another series of Death Cafés will take place next spring, so keep an eye for those as well. The Nipissing Serenity Hospice is located at 799 John Street, in North Bay.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
