Finding the Answers
There are many reasons why people considering their end of life plans might call in a death doula, but what most of those reasons boil down to is that these people have a lot of questions, and they want to connect with someone who has the answers. Well, here’s the big secret: You, the doula, […]
Welcome to the IDLM Family!!
New classes are beginning at IDLM and as always we are all so excited to welcome new members to the IDLM family. Whether our incoming students are totally new to the idea of end of life care, formalizing knowledge they have already gained through life experience, or just brushing up on expertise they already carry, […]
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.
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 […]
Music for End of Life
A couple weeks back, I was having a pretty rough day. One of those days where nothing seems to go right, and nothing seems to help, and the only thing you can do is give up, lie in a dark room, and listen to Simon and Garfunkel on repeat. You might have a different preference […]
All That Remains… and What To Do With It
A friend of mine likes to regularly remind me that when he dies he wants his remains shot into space. He says it with humor because he knows it’s a silly thing to say, but he is serious about it. The two of us have even done some research together on options and pricing (for […]
Being Great Doesn’t Happen By Accident
Think about the last time you saw somebody do something really amazing. Maybe it was an athletic event, maybe it was a magic trick, maybe it was someone absolutely cleaning up on Jeopardy! by answering questions you wouldn’t have thought anybody knew the answers to. These incredible moments are super impressive, and usually brief—maybe a […]
Death Positive: The Death Talk You Didn’t Know You Needed
As doulas, the first and most important part of our job often is simply to open up the conversation, to help people feel safe communicating their thoughts, questions, and concerns about death to each other.
Making Personal Connections
If you work as a doula, you have probably been through the experience of helping someone put together an advance care plan—or at the very least, you have taken time to put some thought into a plan for yourself. Which means you know how challenging that project can be. One of the first, and biggest, […]
That’s the Question, Isn’t It?
I have a question for you. You are more than welcome to answer it, for yourself—in fact, you probably should. But really, I’m giving you this question as a gift to use as a tool with your clients, because this is one of the most important questions you can ask when it comes to advance […]
