The Putney Death Café

In 12 years, Death Cafés have spread quickly across Europe, North America and Australasia, with around 17,000 Death Cafés in 87 countries since September 2011. Brattleboro Area Hospice held its first Death Café in Vermont in 2013 and through the years, they have had a number of cafés in Windham County. They have hosted Death Cafés in Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Putney, Vt. Their next Death Café returns to Putney on Saturday, Jan. 20 from 1 to 3 p.m., at Putney Friends Meeting, 17 Bellows Falls Road, Putney, Vt. Brattleboro Area Hospice holds their Death Cafés every few months and everyone is welcome. The event and snacks are free, but reservations are required. Death Cafés provide an experience for people to come together in a comfortable, informal setting to discuss a wide variety of topics that surround death and dying. A Death Café is not a support group, a counseling session or a workshop. It is simply a gathering of community members in a relaxed atmosphere, sipping drinks, enjoying a comforting snack and sharing engaging, thought-provoking and life-affirming conversation. The Death Café's objective is, "to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives." There is no agenda or themes when it comes to the discussions, they are led by the participants. Depending on the size of the group, they may have one large circle, or break into smaller groups. The Death Café model was developed by Jon Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid, based on the ideas of Bernard Crettaz, a Swiss sociologist. There are specific rules and parameters that one has to follow in order to use the Death Café name. Death Cafés are always not for profit, in an accessible, respectful and confidential space, have no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product or course of action, and there are always refreshing drinks, nourishing food — and cake. Brattleboro Area Hospice addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of dying neighbors and their families. They provide non-medical assistance to the terminally ill and their loved ones, bereavement services to Hospice families as well as the general public, and they serve as a community resource on the issues of death, dying and grieving. They are an independent, community-based, non-profit volunteer hospice organization that provides grassroots, volunteer-staffed programs to supplement and provide alternatives to the professional services utilized by dying and grieving community members. All of their services are free of charge to anyone living in Southeastern Vermont or bordering New Hampshire towns. Brattleboro Area Hospice is located at 191 Canal St. in Brattleboro. For more information or to RSVP, 802-257-0775; info@brattleborohospice.com. For more information about Death Café visit www.deathcafe.com.