Death Café: A place to talk about grief

On Oct. 24, the Identities Project presented to the community on end-of-life care, which is support for people who are near the end of their lives. The panelists spoke on how people who are near the end of their lives deserve high quality care. Panelists covered the following topics: passive versus active euthanasia, dying with dignity, physician assisted suicide, aid in dying, and natural deaths.

While the panel gave important information, it was the Death Café afterward that left the lasting impression. Viterbo University tries to hold the café once a semester; it is a safe place for people who are grieving to express their grief with like-minded people. Many of the participants shared their own experiences with death and kept the conversation open for questions.

Death Cafés held all over the world. People are drawn to them to it not only because of the peculiar name, but also because they open a dialogue about death. Death is natural; however, it is something that everyone fears. For participants the thought of dying themselves or losing someone close to them is terrifying. This event allows everyone to speak about those fears and come to terms with the process of grief. According to the Death Café facilitators, grief is natural and good. This environment allowed people to be exposed to new ways of coping with death and left many of the participants with feelings of relief near the end of the talks.

The Identities Project has two events left this semester, one on intersectionality in oppression. This will be held on Wednesday Nov. 20, in Nursing Center room 196. The final event is SGA's documentary and discussion, which will be held on Thursday Dec. 7, in Nursing Center room 196.