In an effort to encourage more open discussions about death and dying, the Let’s Have Dinner and Talk About Death campaign is helping thousands of Americans share their end of life wishes with friends, family and even strangers.

Michael Hebb, a restaurateur and end of life care activist, founded “Death over Dinner” to launch a “patient-led revolution at the dinner table.”

“My work is to bring people together, break bread and effect social change,” Hebb told a crowd gathered at the TEDMED 2013 conference in Washington, D.C. When Hebb was 12-years-old, his father died in a nursing home from complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease. “We didn’t know how to talk about death and illness in my family, so denial was the route we chose,” he said. “We assume America is afraid of this conversation, but I believe that is a cultural myth.”

Hosting a dinner begins at deathoverdinner.com. After answering several basic questions about the guests (are they parents, friends, co-workers or strangers?) and hopes for the dinner (to prepare for the end of life, for philosophical conversations), the host receives a personalized email with invitation language for the guests. The host also receives “homework,” post-dinner tips and conversation prompts.

Hebb said he was inspired to launch “Death over Dinner” in 2012 while on a train traveling from Portland to Seattle. After speaking with two doctors in the dining car about the state of the American health care system, he learned a troubling statistic: nearly 75 percent of Americans want to die at home, yet only 25 percent of them do.

Dianne Gray, president of Hospice and Healthcare Communications and a “Death over Dinner” advisor, said most people want to talk about end of life-related issues, but they want a safe, comfortable place to do it. “It’s not something you talk about when you get into an elevator,” she said.

She thinks the dinner table makes a perfect place for important conversations, but too often- we are in too much of a hurry to sit down. “Now, culturally, we’ve shifted away from that to where people are doing grab-n-go dinners and eating on the road,” Gray explained. “We need to reconvene at the table– this all-important family gathering place. Family can include friends and neighbors and people that we know, because culturally our families have been extended to include others.”

Advances in medical technologies have influenced conversations about death, Gray said, because of the multitude of medical options and life-prolonging treatments available to the seriously ill. “There are so many choices now. People have realized through unfortunate events that if they sit down and have conversations and discuss these important matters, that even though death can’t be avoided, we can provide our loved ones with the best possible outcomes and follow their choices and wishes,” she said.

There have already been more than 400 dinners across 15 countries. “Sometimes these dinners are really quite funny. People are thrilled,” Gray said. “Jump in.”

Life Matters Media will host its first-ever “Death over Dinner“ on January 30 at Bacchanalia restaurant in downtown Chicago. Tickets are available here