End of Life Doulas, Planning for end of life, funeral services, death conversation cafe

When I tell people I’m an End-of-Life Doula, most people have never heard the term, so I explain that it’s a person who educates, supports and assists with end of life.

An End-of-Life Doula (EOLD) has a non-medical role and is an ‘informed companion’ who educates their client, and family, about the end-of-life process. At the same time, they bring comfort and compassion to assist a person, and their family, to feel safe and supported as they accompany those through the final months, weeks, and days of life – right up until the time of death and beyond.

Presence is the foundation for this model of care. Emotional support, active listening, and creation of a peaceful environment are of the utmost importance.

EOLDs ensure that individuals and their families do not feel alone or isolated.

When I moved to Catalina over three years ago, I quickly realised there was a shortage of personal end of life services in the Eurobodalla Shire. I also saw there was a lack of choice for funerals and after-death services, so I decided I would do what I could to change that as I had worked as a funeral director in Canberra, so I knew what to do. I started Tree of Life Funerals.

Funerals are events we don’t usually think about until we attend one or if someone we love dies and suddenly, we need to arrange one, but people don’t realise how important it is to become death-literate and to plan for the inevitable, monumental moment in all our lives, which is death. Planning for death gives your life so much more freedom.

Even with the growing population in the Shire, there is still only one Registered Mortuary here and the costs involved with setting up and running a mortuary are prohibitive to small funeral operators so I found a funeral partner in Picaluna Beautiful Funerals, which allowed me access to our local mortuary as well as providing a host of support services, so I can devote my time to individuals and their families when it comes to end of life planning, as well as planning, arranging and conducting funerals. We offer pre-paid funerals too.

I have all the necessary equipment to transfer deceased persons from their place of death to the mortuary, I supply beautiful, affordable, coffins as well as a range of eco-friendly wicker ones, or cardboard if that’s your choice.

I’m an experienced Funeral Celebrant and I arrange and conduct personalised, heart-felt services which really celebrate the person who has died and I support their families along the way. I provide choice. Choice and options in where you’d like to hold a service, conducting funeral services on people’s properties, in a garden, in a church, in a chapel, places which were meaningful to the person and which mean so much to the people left behind.

I have supported people and their families who have chosen Voluntary Assisted Dying, which has its own unique and special challenges for all involved, saying farewell with love and dignity.

As a member of my local community, my intention is to provide the best-possible community-based services.

My husband supports and works with me along with other people who also work part-time in nursing and aged care. I have met and befriended other local End-of-Life Doulas who have been with me providing beautiful funeral services, mentoring them to become Picaluna funeral arrangers and directors like myself.

We are building a community of people who provide beautiful end of life and funeral services. I can provide other Celebrants too, people who will spend time with families to craft individual and beautiful services. Ican create lovely memorial slideshows to play during a service, provide music, and arrange for live-streaming of the service in some venues.

We have also started holding monthly Death Conversation Cafés at the Malua Bay Community Centre on a Sunday afternoon between 2-4pm, and Deepika Mistry advertises these on Facebook and around town. The next one is on Sunday 23 February, so come along for a coffee, tea, and cake, as well as some fascinating and enlightening conversation with warm and friendly people, probably the best $10 investment you’ve made for a while!

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