Funerals Are For the Living AND the Dead

These days, many people are abandoning the word “funeral” and instead use the term “celebration of life.” This could not be more appropriate, because the ultimate purpose of these ceremonies is to gather one last time with others to celebrate someone we all cared about.
New IDLM Partner: Lifebooks

There is a saying in some parts of the world that a person doesn’t truly die until the last time their name is spoken. This beautiful idea is an illustration of how much we cherish the memory of people who have gone on before us. One of the ways a doula can serve their clients […]
Last Call for Summer Summit!

Over the past few weeks, we have posted several blog entries spotlighting some of the guests who will be speaking to us at our upcoming Summer Summit celebration. Well this is going to be our last chance to do that because Summer Summit starts next week! Summer Summit is great opportunity for us to hear […]
The Gift of Trust

A commonly held view among those who work in hospice, or with end of life patients in general, is that most people who need to go on hospice wait too long to do it. Instead of opting for hospice care when they receive their terminal diagnosis, they decide to do one more round of chemo, […]
Summer Summit Spotlight – Emma Acker

Everybody dies. We all know this; as death care professionals we face this reality every single day. One of the challenges of death care work is the fact that even though everyone dies, not everyone has the resources to pay for good care at the end of their life, and unfortunately this happens to be […]
Is It Time to Revisit Your Advance Care Plan?

I’m getting ready to take a big trip in the fall, and as I was working on preparations today it occurred to me that it’s been a while since this blog said anything about advance care planning. When it comes to making an advance care plan, a lot of people think it’s something you do […]
Summer Summit Spotlight – Your Morbid Friends

One of the reasons talking to people about death can be so challenging is that it often means talking to them about what is most important to them in life. It can sometimes require a vulnerability that is difficult for people, as they worry about whether they will be valued for what makes them who […]
Death Book Roundup 3

It’s time for another book round up! Who doesn’t love a little summer reading? Previous book recommendations on this blog have focused on non-fiction books and memoirs by death care professionals. This time we want to tell you about some books that really get inside the grief experience in a more personal way. Most of […]
Spotlight on Summer Summit Guest, Dr. Cynthia Pan

This week on the blog we are highlighting an upcoming Summer Summit guest who puts the International in International Doula Life Movement. Dr. Cynthia Pan is a hospice and palliative care expert with decades of experience.
Get Ready for Summer Summit 2025!

The days are long and the weather is getting warmer. Summer is just about here, and that means the International Doula Life Movement Summer Summit is right around the corner.