UHI Moray to host new Death Café initiative

Starting on the 1st October, 10am – 12noon and running initially on a bimonthly basis. UHI Moray Counselling lecturer Dr Salma Siddique who is also the research lead for BSc (Hons) Integrated Healthcare and the BSc (Hons) Counselling Studies at UHI Moray will host a Death Café at the Beechtree Restaurant on UHI Moray campus.

The Death Café initiative started in 2004 in Switzerland with aim of breaking the taboo around dying and with the first UK café starting in London in 2011.

It is an open agenda free discussion group where people get together socially over tea and cake. The discussions help individuals to make most of their finite lives with the understanding that death is inevitable. There are several reasons why an individual would attend a Death Café. Some do so to process grief surrounding the death of a loved one even 20 – 30 years previously, some to find out more about the topic and others who have been diagnosed with a life threatening condition.

Currently there are estimated to be dozens of Death Cafés operating across Scotland and they typically operate within local community buildings as not for profit events to encourage open and honest conversations.

The concept of the Death Café and what it represents connects with learning undertaken by University students studying across a number of curriculum areas including: Social Sciences whose students explore the sociology of loss and connection, SVQ Social Services and Healthcare, or the SWAP Access to Nursing pathway, who are trained in the rarer art of remaining present with someone in their hardest moment.

No booking required just drop in and find out what it is all about or for more information contact Salma Siddique on Salma.Siddique.moray@uhi.ac.uk