It can be hard to talk about death, whether you have lost someone, are in the process of losing them, or are yourself dying; it can be an isolating experience. This is where a death cafe may come in. Since the first cafe held in London in 2011, similar volunteer-directed events have been held globally.
The Cascade reached out to Peter Bohme, a host of local death cafes, to gain insight into this unique way of thinking about and discussing death and dying.
According to Bohme: “A death cafe is a place where people come and talk about death, dying, and grieving. It may be a morbid subject, but in Western culture it’s repressed. We don’t talk about it much compared to other cultures. Talking about death is taboo.”