Death Cafes are one way to help people broach the subject of death and dying. See below for a list of other tools to prompt conversations about this topic.
On this page
Free conversation starters
Cards on Life, Death and Loss | A set of cards developed by Paradigm UK to start meaningful conversations.
Death Over Dinner | Interested in hosting a dinner party with death on the menu? This site provides selections for guests to read, listen to, and watch in preparation for an unforgettable dinner conversation.
Die-alogues | A practical guide to planning and hosting community conversations about death and dying developed by Thunder Bay’s Hospice Northwest. A comprehensive Die-alogues Starter Kit is also available by contacting Hospice Northwest.
Dining with Death Conversation Menu | Are you organizing an event where you want to get people talking about death and dying? A simple menu of questions offers the starting point for engaging conversations.
Tools for purchase
The Death Deck | How well do you know your friends and family? Find out by guessing their responses to a variety of questions about death.
Go Wish Game | Do you worry about saying goodbye in the right way? Is dying at home important to you? Understand and communicate what matters most to you at end of life by sorting cards according to your personal priorities. Available in multiple languages.
GraveTalk | How would you like to be remembered? What does a "good death" mean to you? The Church of England developed a deck of 50 cards and a facilitator’s guide to encourage small-group conversations about death, dying and funerals. Designed for people of all faiths or none.
Heart to Heart Cards | Bilingual Chinese/English cards created by the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care facilitate conversations about end-of-life preferences in four areas: spiritual, social, financial and physical.
Hello Game | A game designed to prompt conversations with family and friends "about living and dying and what matters most." An Enterprise Edition is available for use with larger groups.
Looking for media coverage?
Hi, my name is Rafael and I'm a medical student. I'm interested in palliative care and am always looking for good media coverage of the subject. Some of what I see is pretty inaccurate, but it's been heartening to see an increase in good coverage of palliative care lately, especially in the wake of COVID.