The Saskatchewan Hospice Palliative Care Association (SHPCA) held a Death Cafe and informational session Tuesday afternoon at the St. Joseph's hospital. 

"I work with journeying with people at end of life with their grief," explained one of the hosts, Denise Seguin Horth. "I'm also a board member for the Saskatchewan Hospice Palliative Care Association (SHPCA)."

"A Death Cafe is a place where people can get together and speak without the taboo, without judgement and just be open. It's a safe environment where you can talk about anything you've ever wanted to talk about."

"It sounds a little crazy at first and it sounds a little scary with the name Death Cafe in it, but I think that's part of the point. There's such a stigma and taboo around death, also a sanitization. 

"The only things we know in life is that we were born and we're all going to die. And those are two things we all have in common. So it's important to have those dialogues and the more you can talk about it, the you can be prepared. We prepare for baptisms, we prepare for babies, we spend months researching. We prepare for a birthday party, a wedding engagement and yet when it comes to dying, we don't go there. We don't think about advance directives, we don't think about our wills."

An informational session before the Death Cafe started introduced what they do in the community and to promote palliative care throughout the different communities around the province. 

"What's important about the SHPCA is being a voice that can help promote end of life and what people need when they are facing illness or any stage of life so they can support those who are diagnosed with illness or their family. Letting them know what resources exist in the province. Being the voice of that and bridging it to the government of what [people need or wish they could have within the community."

They are also on Facebook, Twitter and have a website.

The SHPCA is hoping to host more Death Cafes in future and are trying to reach the rural communities around the province.