Wherever you are
on your journey,
I will meet you there.
Death used to be accepted as a natural and inevitable part of life which was experienced in and supported by community. With medical advances, movement away from multi-generational households, and the loss of close knit communities, most of us have lost the knowledge of the dying process and skills associated with supporting the end of life journey. Doulas and other end of life providers fill that space so that people do not have to navigate death and grief in isolation.
JProulx, Earth, collage, 2024
End of Life Doula Services
I can help you decide
what is important now
and at the end of your life.
DEATH EDUCATION
May we all walk with knowledge on our journey.
I create safe spaces for people to assess their knowledge of and explore their personal beliefs about death. My goal is to educate people about the physical, emotional, spiritual, and logistical components of death so that they can make informed choices about how and where they want to die as well as what their survivors experience after they are gone. Education and exploration may take place in person or through virtual gatherings with a client and their circle of care or in community gatherings such as informational workshops, book discussions, and death cafes.
Sorting
Will I know my self
if I leave the past behind,
will I come up short?
What will serve me best
on my journey to become
a self yet to be?
How can I predict
what all the paths untraveled
will require of me?
It does not matter
how much I choose to let go
it is what I keep.
JProulx, 2024
ADVANCED PLANNING SUPPORT
Planning for your death is both
an act of agency
and a gift to your survivors.
Most of us do not have any idea how to talk about death, never mind how to plan for it. I offer clients and their circle of love and care emotional and logistical support as they complete legal documents such as Advanced Directives and make choices about body disposition and remembrance rituals. This planning may take place at any point in a client’s life whether it be after a terminal diagnosis, in advanced age, or earlier in their life.
I can support you
and advocate for your wishes
at end of life.
NAVIGATION SUPPORT
How people die remains in the memories
of those who live on.
Dame Cicely Saunders
(Founder of Modern Hospice)
Most of us do not know what to expect when someone is actively dying and feel overwhelmed by the tasks which must be completed after someone dies. My goal is to educate clients and their circle of love and care about what to expect from the dying process and connect them with available community resources. This service may also involve facilitating difficult conversations about and advocating for the dying person’s wishes with their circle of support as well as their medical care team. Emotional and logistical support for survivors is focused on rituals of remembrance, creating legacy projects, and connecting them with service providers such as funeral directors, lawyers, estate sellers, and grief support groups.
Japanese Death Poems
On my own death bed
which syllables will I choose
to bid life farewell?
Will my memory serve me
as I retell my story?
I hope to capture my love.
JProulx 2024
COMPANIONSHIP
You do not have to be alone on your journey.
Many of us fear that we will die alone. I provide companionship throughout the dying process which may take the form of discussing life meaning and spirituality with the dying person, helping write obituaries, creating legacy projects, sitting vigil, and supporting the grief journeys of those who are dying as well as their survivors.