MANHATTAN (KSNT) – A local woman is helping others face death in Manhattan.
27 News talked to Joslyn Roadstrom, organizer of the Manhattan Death Cafe series, to learn more about what her event is all about and what she hopes participants will get out of it. Roadstrom said she is trying to help others discuss difficult subject matters in a positive setting.
“I’m no stranger to death work,” Roadstrom said. “I’ve worked in long-term care facilities in the past.”
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Roadstrom, who lost her 22-month-old child, Israel, in 2020, said she has spent the last few years coming to terms with death and hopes to help others do the same. Now, she is regularly holding Death Cafe sessions at different locations around the City of Manhattan to educate others on end-of-life matters.
“We’ve kind of lost touch with death,” Roadstrom said.
Roadstrom said she used to work in the healthcare industry and is now trained as a death and grief doula. She said the word doula is of Greek origin and means a “woman who helps.”
“Usually, a birth doula is a woman who helps labor one into this world,” Roadstrom said. “A death doula is the same, the death doula helps someone labor out of this world.”
Roadstrom believes that many people are now far removed from the death process and may not be prepared to face such difficult situations directly. Her Death Cafe events give people the ability to gather and talk while also being educated on matters associated with death.
“I hope that by having this discussion group they can hear other people’s experiences and hearing the word dead and death can be beneficial to people,” Roadstrom said.
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People wanting to attend the Death Cafe sessions don’t need to bring anything and can simply listen in if they don’t want to speak. Roadstrom will be available to guide the discussion and pose questions to keep the conversation moving forward.
“Well, you would think this would be some morbid, morose conversation, but it’s completely the opposite,” Roadstrom said. “We all just have beautiful discussions.”
The next upcoming Manhattan Death Cafe will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the Manhattan Public Library located at 629 Poyntz Avenue in the Groesbeck Room. Tea and snacks will be provided.
Roadstrom encourages people who want to attend to bring an open heart and mind. You can learn more about the Death Cafes by clicking here or by joining the Manhattan Death Cafe group on Facebook.
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