Death cafe in the Welsh valleys-an appraisal.

Abstract

A death cafe is an event where people drink, eat and discuss death. Death cafes do not follow a set structure and the events are held for free. The mission of death cafes is 'to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives'. Death cafes have a proven track record in providing a safe place for people to have conversations about dying, death and grief. This study aims to contribute to the literature by providing a simple synthesis of comments made on the day of a death cafe in Wales by the attendees, and to allow the identification of further research questions. A death cafe event was organised in the South Wales valleys, to encourage discussions about death during Dying Matters Awareness week in the UK, 10 May to 16 May 2019. The event was well attended, and attendees recorded their thoughts about the event. Emerging themes were categorised into the following themes: communication, digital legacy, stigma, humour and a request for future events. Feedback showed that the death cafe had encouraged a greater dialogue about death and dying and facilitated conversations.