A “light-hearted” family event to discuss end of life options will be held tomorrow in Warwick.

Dubbed “the Departure Lounge” and brought by the group Final Steps, the day of activities is aimed at reckoning with mortality.

Jasen Moniz, one of the group’s volunteers, said the gathering at St Mary’s Church Hall was “not about dying”.

She added: “It’s about living your life, right up to the end, according to your values and priorities. You need to be the author of your own story.”

Running from noon to 3pm, the day comes with children’s activities, including a bouncy castle, as well as books, videos and information sessions.

Amis Memorial Chapel and the Bermuda Organ Donor Association will also be on hand to answer questions.

Ms Moniz said the reluctance to discuss issues such as medical care for people near the end of life had left families traumatised.

Eighty per cent of people surveyed in the United States stated that their wish was to die at home with loved ones around them.

But instead, “80 per cent of people die in hospitals or other care facilities”, she said.

She said the figure was higher for Bermudians when it came to polls on where they would prefer to be when they died: 90 per cent said they wanted to be at home.

Ms Moniz added: “We have forgotten that death is meant to be a family centred event.”

When people lose the ability to communicate because of illness, leaving their next of kin uncertain over issues such as resuscitation, organ donation or funeral services, the results can be “devastating”.

Ms Moniz, who has terminal cancer, said: “In the end, death trumps even the best medical care in the world. We need to accept that reality.

“It would be nice in terms of preventing harm and trauma to family, rather than leaving them guessing what you would have wanted.”

Feedback on the event has been “tremendously positive”, she added.

Final Steps has produced regular broadcasts on the subject on the Ocean 89 radio station. The group also gives presentations on request to groups, and plans on hosting regular gatherings at the Bermuda National Library for people to open up to others about the end of life.

Ms Moniz said: “I’ve had people come up to me and break into tears saying how glad they were to honour a dying parent’s wishes, and have these heart to heart conversations.”

A lawyer at the Departure Lounge will give free legal advice, while activities will include a collage of peoples’ “bucket list wishes” for their lives.

Books will be on sale and video clips and presentations will provide information for people of all ages, Ms Moniz said.

Admission, for $15, includes a catered lunch; children aged 10 and under will be admitted free.

Ms Moniz added: “We have a wonderful team of volunteers that works very hard — we have a plethora of resources, and we are willing to go all over the island to talk to groups of any size.”

To learn more, contact the group at FinalStepsBda@gmail.com or call 543-0330 or 705-2378.