Life Transitions. PSW-End Of Life Doula

A terminally ill federal inmate wants to be released so he can die outside of prison. He's been refused, so he's applying for MAID. A terminally ill man who's spent decades in prison doesn't want to die behind bars. Denied a compassionate release, he's now considering a medically assisted death.

The hardest lesson I’ve learned while working in the end of life arena is about time.
Time is the enemy.
We take it for granted. We live as if it will always be available. We think we will always be able to Do. That we will always have the opportunity and the ability to Do. I use the word “Do” because we tend to think we will be capable of action. As time moves forward old age or illness becomes part of our living. What and how much we can do diminishes. From this observation I’ve learned the importance of doing and saying what I want to do and say, NOW.

My job has taught me the past is a memory, the future is an idea only the NOW contains movement, opportunities, and action. The belief that I have tomorrow may not be true.

I don’t mean for this to sound pessimistic or negative.
My job helped me to consider the opportunities of living–
to find peace of mind, joy and fulfillment in all that we do—-each day—NOW.

What has been the hardest thing you’ve had to learn?

CBC Saskatchewan on TikTok Saskatoon’s Jeanette Lodoen wanted Canadians to understand the realities of medically-assisted dying. ⁠ ⁠ It's a choice made by 10,000 people countrywide every year now. ⁠ ⁠ She and her family granted CBC News unrestricted access in the weeks before, during and after her death.⁠ ⁠ (Rep...

My mother's final wish -- and the right to die with dignity After a terminal cancer diagnosis upended 12 years of remission, all Elaine Fong's mother wanted was a peaceful end of life. What she received instead became a fight for the right to decide when. Fong shares the heart-rending journey to honor her mother's choice for a death with dignity -- and refle...

✨Expected Death ~ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don't run out and call the nurse. Don't pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment.

There's a grace to being at the bedside of someone you love as they make their transition out of this world. At the moment they take their last breath, there's an incredible sacredness in the space. The veil between the worlds opens.

We're so unprepared and untrained in how to deal with death that sometimes a kind of panic response kicks in. "They're dead!"

We knew they were going to die, so their being dead is not a surprise. It's not a problem to be solved. It's very sad, but it's not cause to panic.

If anything, their death is cause to take a deep breath, to stop, and be really present to what's happening. If you're at home, maybe put on the kettle and make a cup of tea.

Sit at the bedside and just be present to the experience in the room. What's happening for you? What might be happening for them? What other presences are here that might be supporting them on their way? Tune into all the beauty and magic.

Pausing gives your soul a chance to adjust, because no matter how prepared we are, a death is still a shock. If we kick right into "do" mode, and call 911, or call the hospice, we never get a chance to absorb the enormity of the event.

Give yourself five minutes or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes just to be. You'll never get that time back again if you don't take it now.

After that, do the smallest thing you can. Call the one person who needs to be called. Engage whatever systems need to be engaged, but engage them at the very most minimal level. Move really, really, really, slowly, because this is a period where it's easy for body and soul to get separated.

Our bodies can gallop forwards, but sometimes our souls haven't caught up. If you have an opportunity to be quiet and be present, take it. Accept and acclimatize and adjust to what's happening. Then, as the train starts rolling, and all the things that happen after a death kick in, you'll be better prepared.

You won't get a chance to catch your breath later on. You need to do it now.

Being present in the moments after death is an incredible gift to yourself, it's a gift to the people you're with, and it's a gift to the person who's just died. They're just a hair's breath away. They're just starting their new journey in the world without a body. If you keep a calm space around their body, and in the room, they're launched in a more beautiful way. It's a service to both sides of the veil.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Conversations with Leaders - Caregiving in Canada. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. This live virtual event will feature a conversation between Kelli Stajduhar, professor in the School of Nursing and Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health at the University of Victoria, and Janet Dunbrack, former Executive Director of the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association and an active volu...

15 DAY PERSONAL REFLECTION

DAY1
What would I truly regret not doing if I died tonight ?

DAY2
What are you most proud of in life ?

DAY3
Which 3 events most shaped your life ?

DAY4
Are you making time to do things that make you happy?

DAY5
Are you happy with who you are?

DAY6
What is the number one thing on your bucket list?

DAY7
It’s not just a list. How do you plan on making it happen in the next year or so?
Do not wait till it to late there might not be time

DAY8
Do you have unresolved issues that you should take care of before the New Year?

DAY9
How would people remember you after you are no longer here?

DAY10
Are you living your best life?

DAY11
What would I do if I wasn’t afraid of anything?

DAY12
What is one thing I could start doing today to improve the quality of my life?

DAY13
Are you on the right path with the life you want to live?

DAY14
If you could relive one day of your life what day would that be and why?

DAY15
Who are you?
Are you happy with that response or do you need to make changes?

'Wind phone' for grief helps restaurant owner whose husband died of COVID-19 | CBC News A "wind phone" located behind L'Orée du Bois restaurant in Chelsea, Que., was opened to the public last month to help people process their grief through speaking into an unconnected phone, an idea that originated in Japan.

Spreading this information for those of you that don’t have your affairs in order. Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.

- TOD = Transfer On Death deed if you own a home. Completing this document and filing it with your county saves your heirs THOUSANDS. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home to your designee. All they need to do is take their ID and your death certificate to the county building and the deed is signed over. Doing this will avoid the home having to go through probate.

- Living Will: Allows one to put in writing exactly what you want done in the event you cannot speak for yourself when it comes to healthcare decisions

- Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make legal decisions if one is no longer competent to do so.

- Power of Attorney for Healthcare: This document allows one to designate someone to make healthcare decisions for their person.

- Last Will and Testament: Designates to whom personal belongings will go too.

- Funeral Planning Declaration: allows one to say exactly one’s wishes as far as disposition of the body and the services.

- If the above documents are done, you can AVOID probate. If all the above is not done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have an attorney to open the estate account. The attorney also has to publicize your passing in the newspaper or post publication at the county courthouse, to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. - It’s a complete PAIN.

- Make a list of all banks and account numbers, all investment institutions with account numbers, lists of credit cards, utility accounts, etc. Leave clear instructions as to how and when these things are paid. Make sure heirs knows where life insurance policies are located.

- Make 100% sure SOMEONE knows your Apple ID, bank ID account logins and passwords!

- Make sure you have titles for all vehicles, campers, etc!

- MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!! - Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. - Do this to explain why your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings.

Hope this helps! Hope this lights a spark to encourage all your friends and family to take care of these things to make it easier for those we all leave behind!

My hope is that the above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones.

Here is a helpful chart of the differences between and insurance policy and a prepaid funeral plan. Perhaps the most notable ones are the ones pertaining to whether or not expenses are covered during the time of need and whether or not it indicates your wishes.

Only having an insurance means your family will have to make all the decisions of your arrangement during the worst day of their life. It also means they will have to pay out of pocket until they are reimbursed by the insurance in weeks or months.

Save your family these heavy decisions during their time of grief and pre-plan with us! Call us today at 613-932-8482 to get started.

Do you have a bucket list? A place that you’ve always wanted to go, an event you want to attend, a milestone you want to reach? ⁠
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Share these intentions with someone you love. It will not only make you feel closer to them by sharing, but will also be a step closer to fulfilling that dream by stating it aloud. ⁠
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Today is the day to begin planning how to make these hopes, dreams and desires a ⁠
reality. ⁠
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Please join us in increasing awareness by reposting (tag us and ), using hashtag , and posting your own content about NHDD. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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You are diagnosed with a serious cancer (or other serious illness). How much information do you want?

If you are currently living with a serious illness, have you spoken with your healthcare team about the level and delivery method of communication? Do you prefer prognosticating or no?
Were there situations that you have been in where the healthcare provider gave your more or less information than you wanted to have at the time?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QdpSgEQKVNE&feature=mweb_c3_open_app&itc_campaign=mweb_c3_open_app&redirect_app_store_ios=1

Our Funeral Home is Overwhelmed With Bodies Things are bad in Los Angeles.If you want to help, and live in the Los Angeles area, we ask that you contact your local government representatives to express...

The Pandemic Should Change the Way We Talk About Dying My patients and their families are facing the sudden decline that can occur in people with COVID-19, and many are not prepared.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/i-truly-believed-if-i-did-not-get-her-out-of-the-home-she-would-die-sisters-celebrate-release-from-long-term-care-home

'I truly believed if I did not get her out of the home, she would die': Sisters celebrate release from long-term care home “I thought (COVID-19) was a death sentence.”

Planning for the final transition is not an easy conversation
There is a lot of decisions to make
Do not leave it up to others.
Take your life in your own hands while you can and make the choices you want for yourself
This will let the ones you leave behind help in the grieving process as they will know that these are your wishes

This is a great read
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/newsmd/science/6615083-The-dying-can-hear-you-right-up-to-the-end-study-says?fbclid=IwAR1yyLTrqEdCJ_TsEJOMbyihcvK1DITGO_rSa54nu3Evrmf265oDdzxXAEk

The dying can hear you right up to the end, study says | Duluth News Tribune Canadian researchers found hospice patients could perform mental tasks upon request while at 10% brain function.

Why planning for death should start when we’re living | Life Examined Death and dying are inevitable and a natural part of life’s cycle. The pandemic has brought the issue of our own mortality into sharp focus.

What is important to you ?

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This is very important
Please watch
This is something I can help you get started and prepare

Who Will Speak For You? What if you were in a sudden accident or diagnosed with a serious illness? What if you were unable to speak for yourself? Who would speak for you? Do they kn...

This is a excellent read
Makes you really think about what its means to live or die

Advance Care Planning: Machines Keeping You Alive or Not? With a global pandemic upon us, we have all heard about patients being kept alive by ventilators. Ventilators are machines that move air into and out of your lungs when you are not able. Ventilator…

Advance Care Planning: Machines Keeping You Alive or Not? With a global pandemic upon us, we have all heard about patients being kept alive by ventilators. Ventilators are machines that move air into and out of your lungs when you are not able. Ventilator…