(Kelly Grosklags is Board Certified in Clinical Social Work. She completed a Fellowship in Grief Counseling from the American Academy of Healthcare Professionals, and a Fellowship in Thanatology from Association of Death Education and Counseling. Kelly is the executive producer of the short documentary, “Dying Is Not Giving Up.” She hosts the “See My Grief” podcast, and has authored A Comforted Heart: An Oncology Psychotherapist’s Perspective on Finding Meaning and Hope During Grief and Loss.) ============================================ Throughout my time as a psychotherapist s ..read more

(This story was originally published in the University of Alberta’s (U of A) Folio and is republished with permission.) ========================================== Grief is difficult to bear, but when you believe your loved one died badly, it’s even worse, according to a new University of Alberta study. “It could be dying in pain or with other unrelieved symptoms like nausea, or they wanted to die at home but couldn’t; there are many ways in which they could feel it is not a good death,” said Donna Wilson, a U of A nursing professor who led the study. “The family is left with the memories ..read more

(Rebekah Finn is a graduate of Alua Arthur’s “Going with Grace” end of life death doula training course and received her NEDA Proficiency Badge with the National End of Life Doula Alliance (NEDA). She is a bereavement and volunteer coordinator at Topkare Hospice. She is part of Topkare’s “Threshold Care Team” that helps create plans of care for the last 7 to 10 days of patients’ lives and leads community events that include acupuncture, grief gatherings, mindfulness meditation, and sound healings. Rebekah has a B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University and has been a certified yoga in ..read more

(Roshi Joan Halifax  is the abbot and head teacher of Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Melvin McLeod is editor-in-chief of Lion’s Roar magazine and Buddhadharma. This article first appeared in Lion’s Roar and is used with permission.) ============================================  Interview of Roshi Joan Halifax: A Buddhist perspective. Melvin McLeod: The ideal of having a “good death” is popular these days. What are your thoughts about it? Roshi Joan Halifax: I believe that a great discovery on the journey of dying is to be free of expectations, inclu ..read more

(Vanessa is owner of Denver EOL Doula, LLC and has been trained by the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) to serve those who are dying and their families. She offers emotional, spiritual, and informational support to people with a terminal illness and/or in palliative or hospice care. Her focus is primarily on life review, vigil planning, legacy projects, and respite care.  She also is vice president to the Colorado End-of-Life Collaborative and the facilitator of the Littleton Death Café.) ==================================== “Why are there a zillion websites and refere ..read more

(Tom Johnson-Medland is a retired ordained Greek and Russian Orthodox clergyman (1997 – 2019) and chaplain for the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem [Hospitallers] since 1999. He has 26 years as an end-of-life specialist, advocate, and hospice leader. A certified end-of-life doula, Tom is a hospice liaison for Amedisys Hospice of York, PA. He has authored 22 books and over 50 poems and articles, stories and essays. He and his wife, Glinda, have founded a nonprofit foundation for poets) ==================================== This year I am celebrating my 26th year in end-of-life work. I started ou ..read more

(Chris Haws is a British born Psychologist and certified Grief Counselor, based in Washington DC. He specializes in grief, loss, and bereavement recovery working with individual clients – both face to face and virtually. He also advises multinational corporations, grief support organizations, and bereavement affinity groups locally and internationally. His work has appeared in print, radio and TV in the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe. This blog post is based on the documentary film, “Laura’s Choice.” It is available on CuriosityStream and https://www.lauraschoice.org/.  Chris was the E ..read more

(With a career spanning 30 years in the medical industry, Maureen Kures is no stranger to end-of-life issues. As an oncology, hospice, and ICU nurse, she was privileged to provide end-of-life care for many individuals. As a nurse supporting bone marrow transplants, she had the opportunity to assist in extending life for many others. This article, used with permission, first appeared at https://www.radiantmourning.com/post/lgbtq-end-of-life-planning.) ================================================= One of the most difficult patient situations I ever experienced happened because two people lov ..read more

(Lara Stewart-Panko is a registered social worker and family educator residing in Ontario, Canada. She is a doula and educator with the International End-of-life Doula Association (INELDA). This article, used with permission, first appeared at https://inelda.org/acceptance-denial-and-related-responses-to-death/) ============================================= Shall we agree that there’s an implicit message we often receive that acceptance is “good” and denial is “bad”? In Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief model, denial and acceptance are used to name two of the stages, and while we know th ..read more

(This article, used with permission, first appeared on the KevinMD website in August 2023. The author is Final Exit Network’s Surrogate Consultant and is a patient advocate and founder of Ending Well! Patient Advocacy. She focuses on end-of-life care and planning, aiming to help people have a “good death.” She can be reached at Final Exit Network and LinkedIn.) =============================================== “If you don’t know how to die, don’t worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you.” — M. Montaigne ..read more