In this episode of the television series A Good Goodbye, host Gail Rubin speaks with Mindi Horwitch, LISW, an advanced care planning consultant, on why so many people who say they want to die at home (about 70%) wind up dying in the hospital (also about 70%). Many people are afraid to talk about death, so they don’t have a much-needed conversation before there’s a death in the family.
Mindi and Gail discuss two ways to help start honest conversations: Death Cafe events and the resources of Compassion & Choices.
The objective of Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation — open and free-flowing with no specific agenda.
The Death Cafe concept was started in the United Kingdom by Jon Underwood. He was influenced by the ideas of Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who started holding Cafe Mortel events in France and Switzerland. At these events, people come together in a relaxed, confidential and safe setting to discuss death, drink tea (or your favorite beverage) and eat delicious cake or cookies.
To become better acquainted with the Death Cafe concept, visit DeathCafe.com or my Albuquerque Death Cafe page.
Compassion & Choices provides end-of-life consultation and counseling, useful documents for advanced planning, and advocacy for choice on end-of-life issues. Learn more at http://www.compassionandchoices.org/
A Good Goodbye TV presents an educational and entertaining 12-episode series of 25-minute programs with expert interviews on “everything you need to know before you go.”
Each 25-minute episode provides valuable insights into funeral planning issues. From pre-need planning to grief counseling, financial issues to the latest trends in death care, these interviews offer eye-opening insights into the party no one wants to plan.
The full 12-episode series of A Good Goodbye interviews is now available on DVD. Learn more and order your copy here.