My Approach
In my day job I teach people who want to grow from their stress or injury how to heal themselves by developing an empowered relationship with their body through yoga, trauma informed personal training and TREⓇ, tension and trauma release exercise. In this work I’ve supported hundreds of folks moving through pain, suffering, grief, anxiety, depression and more. Suddenly my work started to attract lots of grieving folks after their loss of a loved one. I well understood the kind of grief that comes from loss of identity, safety in families and institutions, and health. I also have lots of experience with animal death, having grown up on a farm and with dogs most of my life. I’ve witnessed a wide variety of deaths from peaceful to horrible, from quiet to agonizing, planned and spontaneous. However, I have little experience with human death. Of course, as I continue to age, that will change soon!
I’ve chosen death care work because I want to appreciate this one rare life I’ve been given. I want to want all of it. To enjoy it. To open to it in all its fullness. As someone who has experienced depression throughout my life, this can feel like a lofty dream, and both a practical and necessary one that excites and challenges me. Regardless, it’s a recurring and stable desire in my life (and death!) journey.
In my work as a death doula I assist people who want to grow their consciousness and accept the promise of death. I became an end of life doula to companion, support, and educate folks who are thinking about or approaching death so they can live and die in wholeness and with more peace and ease.
What is an End Of Life Doula (aka Death Doula)?
A death doula provides nonmedical, practical, emotional, physical, and spiritual care and support to the dying person and their loved ones and community of care. I bring an open hearted presence to the person planning their death journey at any point before or after a diagnosis all the way through bereavement as a supportive presence for the family and friends of the deceased.
Why Work with Death Doula Joann?
More and more folks are choosing to die at home. After many years of medicalized deaths where dying people are going out with all the life saving measures possible, which are often violent, intrusive, and unnecessary, it seems we are going back to simpler times and recognizing a desire for a “good” death. With that comes the need for support. Hospice and palliative care offer medical comfort measures as well as many holistic supports like social services and spiritual care. So why a death doula?
As a death doula I am not limited in my offerings by insurance or the medical system. This allows me to offer a wide range of services to you as the client, that supports and fills in the gaps of care from other excellent resources like hospice and palliative care support.
But you might wonder, what does it look like, practically? Some of the services I offer include:
Death Literacy Education: understand the dying process and death care system so you can identify resources and services to cultivate a healthy preparedness for your death or the death of your loved ones.
Death education reduces death anxiety!
Legacy Planning: This can be anything from a life review to creating projects (cookbook, art, music, cards, etc.) or writing letters for loved ones left behind. How do you want to be remembered?
Death Planning: Where do you want to die? At home? In a hospital? Complete your values based advanced directive. Be supported in navigating dying choices such as MAID (Medical Aid in Dying) and VSED (Voluntary Stop Eating and Drinking). Plan your vigil, funeral referrals, life celebration, and body disposition options (burial? cremation? “green” options?).
“Embrace the reality of death to live and die better.” ~Julie McFadden, RN
Emotional Support: reduce death anxiety through education and embodiment practices (breath, movement, guided meditations, etc). Understand and learn how to make space for grief and loss. Advocate for the dying person with family and care support folks.
Spiritual Support: Advocate for and honor your spiritual directives. Connect you with clergy and other faith aligned support people. Offer specific counseling for yogic based faith folks. Hold infinite space for any client’s spiritual perspective, or lack of one.
Practical Support: Attend and sit for your death vigil. Help coordinate care and support systems. Companion and respite care for the caregivers. Post death follow up and grief and bereavement support for care team, family, and loved ones.
