When is it time to consider adding a doula to your team? Is time limited due to a terminal diagnosis? Are you tending to a loved one and don’t know how to be helpful? Did you hear the word ‘hospice’ and can’t wrap your head around the idea? Are you grieving the loss of aContinue reading “Hello, Doula! Are you there?”
Author Archives: susandoulamn
Choosing a Doula
The time has come. Maybe it is right around the corner. You want to add a doula to your team. Where do you start? How do you decide who is right for you? Here are a few things to consider when choosing a doula. Choose wisely. A doula can be a trusted companion during aContinue reading “Choosing a Doula”
Will a doula…
You may know what an end-of-life doula WILL do, but do you know what a doula will NOT do? There are two hard stops for me – money and medication. The other two items – insurance and orders – do not fall into the scope of doula services. Will a doula manage my money? AContinue reading “Will a doula…”
Who Doesn’t Love a Good Story?
We grew up on stories – the uphill climb (both ways) in a blizzard, the thrill of a championship game, chasing chickens in the yard to ready them for dinner that night, where you met the love of your life, the first driving lesson….the list goes on. Why? Because we all love a good story.Continue reading “Who Doesn’t Love a Good Story?”
Every Story is Different
I recently spoke with Sarah, the Social Work Supervisor with Grace Hospice, to get her take on the role of a social worker at the end of life. As a doula and hospice volunteer, her comment “Every story is different” resonated with me. Every patient. Every family. Every journey. Every story. As a hospice volunteer,Continue reading “Every Story is Different”
Funeral Directors – Not Always the Man in Black
March 11 is National Funeral Director and Mortician Recognition Day Your head is reeling from the death of your loved one. Funeral? Burial? Cremation? Celebration of Life? Zoom service (thank you, Covid-19 pandemic)? Online obituary? Sudden death? Expected death in hospice? Is this a child? Military personnel? Religious affiliation? Paperwork? And don’t forget to addContinue reading “Funeral Directors – Not Always the Man in Black”
Independent Seniors? We all know one ~ Let’s keep them that way!
February is Senior Independence Month. I bet you didn’t have that one on your calendar! Parents, friends, and relatives are aging better than before (outside of the Covid pandemic) and many are still living independently. While some seniors are still in their homes, many have moved into apartments, senior housing, assisted/independent living facilities, and aContinue reading “Independent Seniors? We all know one ~ Let’s keep them that way!”
This Big Puzzle Called Life
Judging by the posts on Facebook, I am not the only one breaking out a jigsaw puzzle to help pass the stay-home-and-stay-safe time. As I worked on puzzle #2, I realized a few things. In life, I sometimes try to fit pieces in where they don’t belong, but they might seemed right at the time.Continue reading “This Big Puzzle Called Life”
What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do
The current, and not-so-short-lived Covid-19 virus has created new challenges for us when we want to be at the bedside of our dying loved one. Maybe our visits are restricted due to the pandemic, work schedules, or geography. How do we connect with our loved one when we can’t be at the bedside? How doContinue reading “What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do”
To Grandma Walt
A Prayer Upon Learning of a Death by Eli Effinger-Weintraub [NAME], I honor the body that you were The words you spoke The passions that moved you The love you shared The life you lived. These were not always easy to live Or to live with But they were always you, And I honor youContinue reading “To Grandma Walt”
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