Talking About Death at the Dinner Table 
Noerena Abookire, Ph.D.
Dr. Abookire is the Director of Development and Volunteer Services
for Hospice Partners of Southern California in Santa Monica CA.
Twelve strangers scramble to secure a seat at the dinner table and talk about death. It seems to me that would be the last place I would choose to be on a Saturday night in Santa Monica. However, names continue to be added to what is becoming a long waiting list to attend one of the "Death and Dying Dinner Parties" happening at Hospice Partners of Southern California's administrative office.
No one seems concerned that they will be spending the evening with people they have likely never met, and will be talking about a subject hardly spoken of. They will be eating on fine china and will, like the other guests, contribute to the meal by bringing a dish made specifically for this evening. Many bring food that carries with it a particular memory; the mayonnaise-free potato salad that their mom always made at holidays; or the appetizer or main course that was part of every family dinner. Everything that night will have meaning; the table will be filled with unpredictable conversations offering unique opinions and theories about this often unspoken theme.
Hospice Partners of the Central Coast
277 South Street, Suite R
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Phone: (805) 782-8608
Email: hpccinfo@wilshirehcs.org
