When children experience grief, sometimes it’s hard for adults to know how to help. Wade Bergner, author of The Mirror Box, has written a children’s book that is designed to help families understand and cope with grief. The Mirror Box is an honest story of one boy’s journey from grief to acceptance over the death of his grandfather.

He speaks with Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and host of The Doyenne of Death® Podcast.

Among the topics discussed:

• How to talk about death with children.
• The importance of language when discussing death.
• How elders can plan to leave a meaningful gift before facing end-of-life.

The Mirror Box is the newest in Wade’s Emotional Agility Matters Children’s Book Series. Bergner Books proudly supports Together We Rise, a national 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to provide a better experience for youth in foster care. 15% of all book net proceeds are being directed towards Together We Rise. Learn more at www.BergnerBooks.com.

Tips to Help Children Cope with Grief

The death of a loved one is a difficult experience for anyone, but it can be especially challenging for children who may not have the same understanding and coping mechanisms as adults. Here are some ways that adults can help children grieve a death in the family:

1. Be honest and clear: It’s important to use simple and honest language to explain what has happened. Avoid using euphemisms or abstract concepts that may confuse the child. Let them know that their feelings are valid and that it’s okay to be sad or angry.
2. Answer their questions: Children may have a lot of questions about death, and it’s important to answer them in a way that is appropriate for their age and understanding. Be patient and open to their questions, and give them the space to express their thoughts and feelings.
3. Provide a safe space for expression: Encourage the child to talk about their feelings and emotions, and provide a safe space where they can express themselves without judgment. This could be through talking, drawing, writing, or other creative activities.
4. Keep routines and structure: Maintaining a sense of routine and structure can help children feel more secure and grounded during this difficult time. Stick to regular meal times, bedtimes, and other activities as much as possible.
5. Seek support: If the child is struggling to cope, it may be helpful to seek support from a grief counselor, therapist, or other mental health professional. Support groups for children who have experienced loss can also be beneficial.
6. Remember the person who has died: Encourage the child to remember and honor the person who has died. This could include creating a memory box, making a scrapbook, or planting a tree in their memory. Keeping the person’s memory alive can help the child process their grief and come to terms with their loss.

Remember that grief is a process and there is no “right” way to grieve. It’s important to be patient and supportive, and to meet the child where they are in their grief journey.

Here’s an interesting article about Movies That Help Parents and Children Understand Grief and Loss. You may find some of those suggestions to be helpful.

The post How Adults Can Help Children with Grief on The Doyenne of Death Podcast first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

Former US president Jimmy Carter in 2015

Former President Jimmy Carter revealed on February 18 that he is going home from the hospital to live out the rest of his 98-year life on hospice. Back in 2015, when President Carter was diagnosed with metastatic skin cancer, I wrote a post encouraging him to set an example and go on hospice care. He instead pursued an experimental treatment that gave him eight more years of life. And that’s okay – good for him!

The news coverage over the weekend make it sound as if by going on hospice, he’s already dead. No wonder people are afraid of hospice. The problem is, most people wait too long to take advantage of the benefits of hospice. Too often, people go on hospice when they are literally at death’s door.

The guidelines for starting hospice care is a medical condition with a likelihood of causing the patient’s death within six months. Curiously, old age is not a valid diagnosis for hospice care.

Hospice is a specialized form of medical care that aims to provide comfort, support, and dignity to people who are in the final stages of a terminal illness. The primary goal of hospice care is to alleviate the physical, emotional, and spiritual pain and suffering of patients, as well as to provide support to their families and loved ones.

Hospice care can be provided in various settings, including the patient’s home, a hospice facility, a hospital, or a nursing home. Hospice care teams are typically interdisciplinary, including medical professionals, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers who work together to provide a holistic approach to care.

Care often involves managing pain and symptoms, providing emotional and spiritual support, and assisting with practical needs such as daily activities and end-of-life planning. The focus of hospice care is on the quality of life rather than the length of life, and the care is tailored to the individual needs and wishes of the patient and their family.

I witnessed the benefits of hospice care with my good friend Gary. He had COPD, and he spent three months on hospice care at home. It enabled him to go “into that good night” on his own terms.

There’s a meme making the rounds on social media with a quote from Carter: “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” I hope Jimmy Carter’s choice of hospice at this point provides a teachable moment for society at large.

Why are People Afraid of Hospice?

There are many reasons why people may feel afraid or hesitant about hospice care. Some common concerns and misconceptions include:

1. Fear of death: For many people, the idea of hospice care may be associated with the end of life and the fear of dying. However, hospice care is designed to provide support and comfort to patients and families during this challenging time.
2. Misunderstandings about hospice: There are many misconceptions about hospice care, such as the belief that it means giving up on treatment or that it hastens death. In reality, hospice care is focused on providing comfort and support and can be provided alongside other treatments. Some people who go on hospice live longer than they would have pursuing aggressive medical interventions.
3. Lack of information: Many people may not be familiar with hospice care and what it entails. This can lead to confusion and anxiety about what to expect and how to access hospice services.
4. Concerns about cost: Some people may be worried about the cost of hospice care and whether they can afford it. However, hospice care is typically covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans.
5. Fear of losing control: For some people, the idea of relying on others for care can be challenging, and they may worry about losing their independence or control. However, hospice care is designed to empower patients and families and provide them with the support they need to make informed decisions and maintain control over their care.

Overall, it’s important to remember that hospice care is designed to provide support, comfort, and dignity to patients and their families during a difficult time. If you have concerns or questions about hospice care, it’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider or a hospice care provider to learn more and address any concerns you may have.

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®, speaks and writes about planning ahead for end-of-life issues, using a light touch on what many consider a dark topic. She’s also the coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival, taking place October 16-21, 2023.

The post Why are People Afraid of Hospice? first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

Valentine’s Day gifts are by nature sentimental. My friend Martie McNabb, CEO of Thingtide Show & Tale®, holds regular sessions where people bring objects they treasure and tell the stories behind the “thing.”

Martie recently held a Valentine’s Day Show & Tales session, titled Love Letters, Lockets and Valentine’s. I shared a shadow box I put together representing my parents’ long love story. It includes two Valentine’s cards from the 1950s, their wedding invitation, a pack of matches with their wedding date, a picture of them from a photo booth before they were engaged, and other objects.

There’s a pair of ceramic plaques from their honeymoon in the Poconos. Totally not PC today, it’s an Indian “chief” and “squaw” pledging their love to each other. I remember these plaques lived in Dad’s workshop in the home where I grew up. Now they hold a place of honor to mark my parents’ 68+ years of marriage.

You can see the box and hear about its contents in the video below.

Tips for Keeping Valentine’s Day Objects

There are many creative ways to store Valentine’s Day objects. Here are a few ideas:

1. Memory Box: Create a unique box to store all your Valentine’s Day keepsakes, such as cards, gifts, and mementos. You can decorate the box with hearts and other symbols of love to make it especially distinctive.
2. Photo Collage: Print out your favorite photos from past Valentine’s Days and create a collage to display in your home. You can also include special cards, letters, or other meaningful items.
3. Shadow Box: Use a shadow box to display treasured items such as your first Valentine’s Day card, a significant piece of jewelry, or even a pressed flower from a bouquet you received. You can also showcase items from an engagement or wedding.
4. Scrapbook: Create a scrapbook filled with memories from past Valentine’s Days. You can include photos, cards, notes, and other keepsakes.
5. Wall Art: Create a wall display featuring your favorite Valentine’s Day items, such as cards, photos, and special trinkets. You can use frames, string lights, or other decorative elements to make the display unique.
6. Decorative Jar: Fill a jar with hearts, chocolates, or other small items from past Valentine’s Days. You can place the jar on a shelf or use it as a centerpiece for your table.
7. Photo Book: Use digitally created photographs or scan older print photos to make a printed coffee table book of your loved ones throughout the years. Companies like Shutterfly and A Life Untold can help.

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®, is doing her best to downsize all the stuff she has at her house. Learn more about Gail here.

The post Creative Ways to Keep Valentine’s Day Objects first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

What is a Shared Death Experience?

You may have heard about Near Death Experiences (NDEs), when someone’s body is clinically dead for a period of time. The person’s consciousness leaves the body and travels to mystical realms before returning to life in the body. A Shared Death Experience (SDE) is when a person who is not dying shares the experience of someone who is dying.

William Peters, author of At Heaven’s Door, talks with  @GailRubin  on The Doyenne of Death® Podcast about these topics:

• The differences between Near Death Experiences and Shared Death Experiences.
• What drew the author to this field of study.
• How are people who experience SDEs affected afterwards?
• Why don’t people want to talk about SDEs with others?
• The most prevalent features of a SDE.
• Study results of SDEs conducted by the Shared Crossing Research Initiative.

In spite of the loss of loved ones, those who experience a Shared Death Experience are comforted. They are relieved to know their loved ones are happy on the other side. They heal from loss faster, and realize they have less to fear about death themselves. During this long pandemic, this is a redemptive and healing message to receive.

William Peters has experienced both NDEs and a SDE, and founded the Shared Crossings Project to scientifically research and document the Shared Death Experience phenomenon. Recognized as a global leader in the field of shared-death studies, he has spent decades studying end-of-life experiences. A practicing psychotherapist, his work on the end of life is informed by his therapeutic work with individuals facing grief and bereavement, personal experiences with death and dying across cultures, and his family’s own end-of-life journeys. Peters wrote At Heaven’s Door with Michael Kinsella, Ph.D., chief researcher at the Shared Crossing Research Initiative. Learn more at www.SharedCrossing.com.

Listen to the podcast, or enjoy through this YouTube video:

About The Doyenne of Death

New episodes of The Doyenne of Death® podcast are released every Thursday. Episodes are available on the podcast playlist on YouTube as well as wherever you get your podcasts. Gail Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist, a Certified Funeral Celebrant, an award-winning author and speaker, creator of Newly-Dead® The Game and five-time coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. Learn more about Gail Rubin, the podcast, and her work in death education.

Sign up for a free planning form and get more information at www.AGoodGoodbye.com.

The post Discussing Shared Death Experiences on The Doyenne of Death Podcast first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

Mary Woods’ life was celebrated with a Rosary and Vigil service at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. After the Rosary is recited, about 30 minutes into this video, you can hear comments from family and friends about Mary. A Funeral Mass was held the next morning with Archbishop John C. Wester presiding. The video was recorded and edited by Gail Rubin, who writes The Family Plot Blog.

Mary Woods Rosary

My Remembrances of Mary

Mary was a friend to many. I met her through the New Mexico Interfaith Dialogue as a guest on The Archbishop’s Hour on Catholic Radio. She was an excellent interviewer. I invited her to my home for Passover, where she charmed everyone she encountered. She became great buddies with Melanie LaBorwit, and we all celebrated our Maryland roots. Melanie and I were at Mary’s bedside the day before she shed her earthly vessel. We said the Viddui prayer, an interfaith gesture we think Mary appreciated.

And Mary was a friend to Historic Fairview Cemetery, where she volunteered to help clean up the grounds on the first Saturday of the month. She also participated in the first Cemetery Stories event held November 2, 2021. Here is her tribute to her mother, with her story, Prince Matachabelli, which is also included in the video of the Rosary service.

Mary Woods Obituary

Here is the obituary that appeared on the Riverside Funeral Home website:

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Mary on Sunday, January 23rd at University of New Mexico Hospital after a brief battle with cancer.

She was born in Munich, Germany, to U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Norman and Helen Woods. Soon after the family returned to the United States where they lived in Baltimore (Dundalk), Maryland, Stamford (Glenbrook), Connecticut, and Arlington, Virginia. She attended Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington. She graduated from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC with a BA in Drama.

Mary moved “out west” in the 90s living mostly in Salida, Colorado, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico. She fell in love with the people and cultures of the area and never looked back east. Mary was an accomplished actor performing in theatre, movies, television and streaming productions. She was a member of SAG-AFTRA as well as Actors Equity Association. She appeared on stage at Arden Players, Santa Fe, Arena Stage Washington DC, Ford’s Theatre DC, National Portrait Gallery DC and many other theatres.

Mary was also a magnificent voice of audio books having recorded Talking Books for the Blind and Disabled for the Library of Congress. (1979-2000). She won the Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award for Fiction in 1977.

Mary also had a prolific career in radio. She was Host and Interviewer for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe (2006-2021). She hosted NPR Morning Edition at KUNM (FM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico (2005-2006), was News Director at KVRH/KBVC in Salida, Colorado (1996-2005) and News Contributor at KRCC in Colorado Springs, Colorado (2004-2005).

She is survived and greatly loved by her eldest brother, Joseph (Dorsey), many nieces and nephews, and great nieces and great nephews. It would be remiss to leave out that she is also survived by her cats, Sam and Dave, whom she loved dearly. She is predeceased by her parents and her loving brothers Peter (Mai), John (Josefina) and Maurice Patrick.

Mary was a lover of music, literature, movies, archery and poetry. She was passionate in all her activities and interactions. Everyone who knew her, and they are legions, admired her generosity, compassion, honesty, empathy, talent, cleverness and humor. She will be sorely missed and leaves a big void in many lives.

The family want to thank the doctors, nurses, technicians and the entire caring staff at University of New Mexico Hospital (Adult Oncology). Their compassion and love for Mary was evident during her entire journey with them. Words fail to express our appreciation.

A Vigil Wake, an evening of prayers, rosary and remembrances by friends, will be held at Immaculate Conception Church, 619 Copper Ave. NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87102 on Wednesday, February 1st, at 6:30 PM. A Funeral Mass will take place on Thursday, February 2nd, at 10:00 AM at the same location. In lieu of flowers, donations to Catholic Charities, The Humane Society of Albuquerque, or the charity of your choice would be Mary’s wish. The family can be contacted by email at jox1@videotron.ca.

Thank you Mary for being you. Love you to bits.

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®, is also a Certified Funeral Celebrant.

The post Celebrating the Life of Mary Woods first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

Funeral directors and cemeterians who want to generate pre-need sales can learn how to hold an end-of-life conversation-starting event with the Before I Die Festival in a Box™ by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®. (A doyenne is a woman considered senior in a group who knows a lot about a particular subject.) The book and additional materials will be released March 15, 2023.

“Before I Die Festivals provide unique and innovative ways to entertain while educating about end-of-life issues, to get people to plan for our 100% mortality rate,” said Rubin.

Using behind-the-scenes tours, activities, games, speakers, and other outside-the-box activities, Before I Die Festivals offer thought-provoking content within memorable and life-affirming events. The Before I Die Festival in a Box shows how to draw potential clients to a funeral home or cemetery without having to experience the death of a loved one.

Festival in a Box Contents

The book’s contents offer ways a festival can help connect with boomers and younger generations, get positive local news coverage, and sell services before a family needs them. The book includes:

• How to find festival sponsors and partners
• A step-by-step marketing plan for your festival
• Ways to generate publicity and draw event attendees
• Entertaining movies and TV programs that also educate about pre-need planning
• How to collect warm leads from festival attendees.

The Before I Die Festival in a Box includes these conversation-starting tools in addition to the book:

• Newly-Dead® The Game playing cards and instructions for Couples and Singles, as well as Newly-Dead Bingo
• A four-DVD set of the TV interview series hosted by Rubin, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die
• Death Cafe ground rules and information sheet for participants
• Bare Bones Checklist to help collect information for an Upon My Death letter
• Plus, one hour of consulting time with author Gail Rubin, who has coordinated multiple Before I Die Festivals.

The Before I Die Festival in a Box package, available only from www.BeforeIDieFestivals.com, sells for $219.99. The paperback book alone (ISBN 979-8-9868388-0-9), as well as an eBook version (ISBN 979-8-9868388-1-6), will be available separately through online retailers for $49.99. Book orders may also be placed through bookstores. The publisher is Light Tree Press.

Before I Die Festival in New Mexico

Rubin is coordinating the 6^th Before I Die New Mexico Festival in Albuquerque October 16-21, 2023, right after the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Gail@agoodgoodbye.com.

Author Gail Rubin, CT, is a pioneering death educator who uses humor, film clips and outside-the-box activities to prompt people to plan for end-of-life issues. She is a Certified Funeral Celebrant, an award-winning author and speaker, funeral industry journalist, and host of a podcast and TV series. She was one of the first people to hold a Death Cafe in the United States and has coordinated Before I Die Festivals for many years. Learn more at www.AGoodGoodbye.com.

The post Connect with Baby Boomers on End-of-Life Issues With the Before I Die Festival in a Box™ first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

These recent news stories and opinion pieces offer insights into love and death, pet loss grief, downsizing and eco-friendly funerals.

If you could, would you want to know when you will die?

From The Washington Post, opinion by Steven Petrow: “Would you want to know when you’re going to die? I’ve thought about this question quite a bit recently…. The question is not entirely a hypothetical one. A few months ago, out of a morbid curiosity, I visited Death Clock, a website that labels itself the “Internet’s friendly reminder that life is slipping away … second by second.” Read the full piece.

Slate: My Dad’s Death Improved My Sex Life

In Slate Magazine, article by Sophia Laurenzi: “… As psychologist Noam Shpancer explained in Psychology Today, “Talking about sex can be likened to talking about death—we all have sex and we all die, yet both issues are difficult to consider head-on…. Before my dad died, I only thought about sex and death abstractly, and I’d never considered the intersection between the two.” Read the full story.

Dealing with pet loss: How to help a grieving pet parent

How will you deal with your pet’s death?

From The Washington Post, article by Marlene Cimons: “Pet parents often say that losing their animal companions can sometimes be as hard as, if not harder than, losing a human family member, experts said. “Your pets follow you into bathroom. They sleep with you. They are your shadow. Human family members don’t do that,” said Leigh Ann Gerk, a pet loss grief counselor in Loveland, Colo., and founder of Mourning to Light Pet Loss. “Humans don’t go crazy with joy when you come back inside after getting the mail. Human relationships, while important, can be difficult. Our relationship with our pets is simple. They love us just as we are.” People want to help, but often don’t know how. Sometimes their comments can hurt.” Read the full article.

We could all learn from Marie Kondo’s untidy pivot

From The Washington Post, opinion by Tracy Moore: “…The acknowledgment that having three kids can be chaotic would not move the needle most days. But because it’s coming from someone who dared to advise us to evaluate our stuff primarily for whether it sparked joy — inspiring equal parts cultish devotion and apoplectic rage — we’ve now got a tempest in a Twitterpot…. To be clear, no one is coming after your stuff — which, sorry to say, is mostly junk — but your children or partner or siblings will be left to trash, donate or keep it when you’re gone. Remember what we’re up in arms about here, folks: Three old vacuum cleaners, ancient magazines, a box of rusty tools your dad gave you and plates your mother thought had value.” Read the full piece.

From human composting to freeze-drying, new ways to plan a funeral

Biodegradable coffin from Passages International.

From The Washington Post, advice by Climate Coach columnist Michael J. Coren: “… Dying in modern America has never presented so many difficult (or expensive) choices. Tradition once circumscribed us. In the 20th century, 95 percent of Americans had one kind of death ritual: embalming and then viewing the body in a funeral setting, says Shannon Dawdy, a University of Chicago anthropologist. But a distinct shift is underway in how we approach death. More than half of Americans are seeking greener funerals, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, and the percentage is rising. The funeral industry is responding: You can now be entombed in a coral reef. Donated to science. Freeze-dried and shattered into thousands of pieces. Set adrift in an ice urn. “Purified” by mushroom suits. Or, in a return to the past, simply buried in your backyard.” Read the full piece.

This news compilation was put together by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®. She’s the author of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, and Kicking the Bucket List: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.

The post News: Sex and Death, Eco-Friendly Funerals and Downsizing first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

There have been several recent news stories about death doulas and end-of-life issues in the media. Here’s a roundup of those stories.

NPR: End-of-life doulas are working to make conversations about death easier

Talking about dying can be uncomfortable, awkward and heartbreaking. But a growing number of people called end-of-life doulas are working to make conversations about the inevitability of death easier for patients and their families…. Anyone can call themselves a death doula. No license is required and no accreditation agency oversees them. However, Alvin Harmon, the head of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, says the practice has been steadily growing since the pandemic.

Read or listen to the story here.

Albuquerque Journal: One sister died in pain. The other passed away peacefully. A look at the rising use of New Mexico’s medical aid-in-dying law.

The state’s End-of-Life Options Act allows terminally ill adults to seek a doctor’s help to end their life. More than 130 people took the life-ending medication in 2022, and the pace is picking up as the law becomes more well known. Since it went into effect in June 2021, 170 people altogether have used the law, according to state records.

It’s also triggered a court challenge. A local physician and a Christian doctors association filed a federal lawsuit seeking to declare parts of the law unconstitutional. The University of New Mexico Hospital, meanwhile, is establishing a medical aid-in-dying program to help providers and patients navigate the law.

Read the full article.

Washington Post: Dying Can Be a Taboo Topic. Enter the Death Doula

Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. is hosting a series of events called “Death Doula Days.” Unlike labor doulas, who focus on childbirth, death doulas aim to ease the daunting dying process for people in their final days, offering emotional, physical and spiritual support. Death doulas do not address medical concerns, and they differ from hospice chaplains, as they are not religious professionals…. Death doulas help people live out their dying days as they choose — whether that’s reflecting on regrets, calling loved ones to say goodbye or simply sitting still.

Read the full article.

Kiplinger.com: Funeral Planning Can Prevent Further Grief

When a loved one dies, the grief experienced by family members may be overwhelming. Even when the deceased was elderly and the death was expected, it can be challenging to move forward with funeral planning and burial preparations. Imagine how much more difficult it can be for a family who loses a loved one unexpectedly….

Despite strong consumer protection laws(opens in new tab) and the licensing of funeral home directors, it is still possible to experience bad service from a funeral home. But with good information and careful planning, family members should have their moment to pay their respects with dignity.

Read the full article.

Older News Stories

TheConversation.com: What is palliative care? How is it different from hospice?

Palliative care and hospice care are two very different things.

Hospice care is a Medicare-covered benefit for people whose doctors believe they are in the last six months of life, and who want to stop treatments targeting their disease – such as chemotherapy for cancer – to focus on comfort. In contrast, palliative care is appropriate for people at any stage of serious illness and is provided alongside treatments aimed at curing disease.

Palliative care specialists like me are experts in treating physical symptoms like pain and nausea. But just as important, we listen to patients’ stories and find out what is most important to them. We help make difficult treatment decisions and address the sadness and uncertainty that often accompany serious illness. We walk alongside patients and their families at a time that can be frightening and overwhelming, offering comfort, information, guidance and hope.

Read the full article.

Psychology Today: Humor, Serious Illness and End of Life

Washington Post: The stunning rise of cremation reveals America’s changing idea of death

Washington Post: She’s fighting for a right to euthanasia. But she doesn’t want to die.

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®, is a pioneering death educator.

The post End-of-Life and Funeral News Stories first appeared on A Good Goodbye.

Sample Death Ed Bingo! card

Do you like playing Bingo? Do you wish there was an easy way to get people to talk about death and funeral planning?

Be one of the first people to play Gail Rubin’s new game, Death Ed Bingo! Laugh and learn about end-of-life issues while playing this word Bingo game online. Gail will debut Death Ed Bingo! with an online Zoom session on Saturday, January 21, 2023. Join her Death Cafe Albuquerque Meetup group to participate.

Death Ed Bingo!

Just like a traditional Bingo game, players will receive a game card with randomized words instead of numbers. As each death- and funeral-related word is called, there’s a brief teachable moment about each word. Words in the game include: Death, Grief, Obituaries, Cremation, Caskets, Green Burial, Pre-Need Planning, Alkaline Hydrolysis, NOR, MAID, NDEs, Embalming, Funeral Director, and Hospice.

This event will be limited to 30 people, so sign up early through this Meetup event to get the Zoom link. Your online Death Ed Bingo! game card link will be sent to registered attendees the day of the game, January 21. Give this online game session a try and provide your feedback. We’re dying to know what you think!

About Gail Rubin

You may know Gail as the host of Death Cafes in Albuquerque, holding both in-person and online events. Her title is The Doyenne of Death®, and she’s a pioneering death educator. She also created Newly-Dead® The Game. It’s like the old TV game show, The Newlywed Game, but the questions focus on how well a couple knows their partners’ last wishes. Gail is preparing the Before I Die Festival in a Box®, a manual and resources for holding a conversation-starting Before I Die Festival.

Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist, works with organizations to connect them with baby boomers concerned about end-of-life issues. A featured speaker at TEDxABQ in 2015, she’s the author of three books on end-of-life issues, including A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die and KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die. In a previous lifetime, she was a public relations professional and an event planner. Subscribe to her weekly podcast, The Doyenne of Death®.

The post Let’s Play Death Ed Bingo! first appeared on A Good Goodbye.