Brandon, March 16

DEATH CAFES: A SAFE PLACE TO TALK ABOUT DEATH

Actor and director Woody Allen once said: "It’s not that I’m afraid to die, I just don’t want to be there when it happens." Most people feel the same way about the thought of their own mortality -- and since they don’t like to think about the inevitability of death, they certainly don’t want to talk about it.

Representatives at the Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice (RAVNAH) want to change that by taking death out of the closet and talking about it openly in a discussion group format. Following the success of RAVNAH’s first Death Café in November, the agency will host its second Café, this time in Brandon, at Sheri’s Diner located at 25 Center Street in downtown Brandon on Sunday, March 16 from 3:00.-5:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Death Cafés are part of an international movement that started in Europe and have been forming across the globe for the past few years. “The objective of a Death Café is to increase awareness of death and to encourage people to make the most of their lives," said Ann LaRocque, Bereavement Counselor at RAVNAH Hospice and co-founder of the group in Rutland. “We encourage people to bring their questions, experiences and thoughts to the gathering.”

A Death Café is not a support group, or a counseling session or even a workshop. It’s simply a group of community members coming together in a relaxed atmosphere over coffee, tea and goodies and sharing thought-provoking and life-affirming conversation.

Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz is credited with pioneering the concept of a death café. As part of his research, Crettaz hosted the first Death Cafe, then published the results in a 2010 book. In 2012, Lizzy Miles, a hospice worker from Columbus, Ohio organized and conducted the first death café in the United States. Since then, a growing number of these groups have emerged across the United States.

Sheri’s Diner will provide beverages and goodies for purchase to those attending. Sharing food creates a relaxed and nurturing environment where the group can join open, honest conversation to explore the questions about life, dying and grief.

Space is limited for the March 16 Death Cafe. RSVP to Ann LaRocque at RAVNAH at 802-770-1516 or email larocque@ravnah.org.

The Hospice program at Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice provides care, comfort, and support for those in the final stages of life and for their families. To request hospice care support or grief counseling, to volunteer or to learn more about services offered by RAVNAH Hospice, call 802-770-1502 or visit www.ravnah.org. For more information on the Death Café movement, visit www.deathcafe.com.

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