No one wants to talk about death at the dinner table, at a soccer game or at a party, says Lizzy Miles, a social worker in Columbus, Ohio.
But sometimes people need to talk about the "taboo" topic and when that happens, they might not be able to find someone who will listen, she says. "Whenever people hear I'm a hospice worker, they talk to me about death. It doesn't matter if I'm on an airplane, gambling in Las Vegas, or in a grocery store line. I really see firsthand the need to let people talk. It's my gift to others."
Her gift sparked the birth of "death cafes" in the USA, a trend that started in England, is spreading across the USA and is about to take off, she says.
The casual get-togethers are held at coffee shops, restaurants, and March 30 in Atlanta, at the historic Oakland Cemetery. Hosts are social workers and chaplains-no professional association, philosophy or religion sponsors them, and no one tries to sell anything like coffins or funeral plots.
The concept is really very simple and civilized.
"They're a place to talk about the issues surrounding death while drinking tea and eating delicious cake,'' says Miles, 42.....
