BELLOWS FALLS — Brattleboro Area Hospice will host a Death Café on Tuesday, June 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Valley Café in the Square in downtown Bellows Falls.
The event is an opportunity for community members to come together in a comfortable setting to discuss a wide variety of topics surrounding death and dying. The format is informal, and the event is free. Space may be limited, so RSVP.
The increasingly popular Death Café is part of an international movement (www.deathcafe.com) that started in Europe a decade ago. Its purpose: take the topic of death out of the closet and to offer an opportunity for people to talk.
A Death Café is not a support group, a counseling session, or a workshop. Rather, it's a gathering of community members in a relaxed atmosphere, sipping drinks, enjoying a comforting snack, and sharing engaging, thought-provoking and life-affirming conversation.
Death Cafés in Windham County have been tremendously successful and popular, event organizers say. Brattleboro Area Hospice has now hosted three.
“People have reported the experience as respectful and comfortable, supporting a full range of emotions, from tears to raucous laughter, easier than anticipated, energy-charged, inspirational and fun,” read an event announcement.
Brattleboro Area Hospice provides volunteer-staffed programs that complement the professional medical services frequently used by families and individuals facing and experiencing the death of a loved one. The organization works closely with the medical community in a variety of settings to provide non-medical assistance to the terminally ill and those close to them as far from the event of end of life as two years.
They offer bereavement groups, counseling services, and volunteer support to community members seeking companionship and understanding surrounding and following a loss. Brattleboro Area Hospice serves as a community resource on the issues of death and dying and offers educational presentations and opportunities for exploration into this topic. All services are free.