Who will look after me and provide care at the end of my life?
“Today you are you. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”
Dr Suess
End of Life Planning: a time to care and prepare.
Whether we know it ourselves, or someone tells us we are approaching our end of life, it often comes as a shock. When we think about it more, many questions arise.
Getting a potential, terminal diagnosis hits like a rock; and without planning ahead, you will be projected down a path that can be full of wishful thinking or just downright frightening.
Anything that anyone says right now may not land, because frankly you are in a state of shock. Yes it’s scary, overwhelming and you may feel numb. This is understandable and normal.
Knowing your death is approaching can also be one of the most liberating times.
Dying Patient Care – How we can help
Dying Your Way provides a checklist for anyone facing the end of their life. It is practical while offering emotional and spiritual support. It provides a ten module training, psycho-social support through online counselling and multiple resources for you and your family.
We help dying patients and their families find peaceful outcomes in many ways.
- We provide psycho-social support tailored to your individual circumstances through online counseling with a certified end of life doula.
- The online Dying Your Way End of Life Training covers 10 modules culminating with a personal end of life plan. This is tailored to the patient to make empowered choices but also supports the family to learn how to care for a dying loved one.
- Free resources are available such as a downloadable ebook titled Facing Death, the Dying Your Way podcast episodes, and a curated Resource Center which is a repository of topics about death and dying, all with a focus on how to die well.
It is recommended that dying patients or their family or caretakers have a free 30 minute consultation first.
Here are topics covered in the Dying Your Way End of Life Training
- You will contemplate and determine your most pressing concerns, while weighing the pros and cons of decisions that need to be made
- You will understand the importance of having a team around you who are family, friends, an end of life doula, clergy and professionals who will provide palliative, psych-social and spiritual support.
- You will attend to paperwork that is necessary, if you have not already done so, and be sure it is easily accessible to all who need it
- You will know your disease and likely prognosis through quality research and empowered conversations with your doctor/s.
- You will understand the importance and difference between curative treatments, palliative care, and hospice care.
- You will become aware of predictable, ongoing physical and mental changes that may occur, and the different levels of care required.
- You will learn ways to avoid unnecessary, painful treatments and emergency room visits. This potentially could save you thousands of dollars.
- You will understand what needs to be in place to have a natural death at home.
- You will learn what happens during the actual stages of dying.
- You will consider funeral options and plan for the kind of memorial you would like.
- You will leave aftercare instructions and bereavement sources for your loved ones.
End of Life Plan – A pathway to your peace of mind
After completing the modules in the Dying Your Way End of Life Training, you will create a personal Dying Your Way End of Life Plan.
This document will be kept with your important end of life papers and shared with your loved ones and medical providers.
Through working with the Dying Your Way End of Life Training you will consider all these important issues which are the essential services I provide as an end of life doula.
This is the checklist I use when working one on one with each client.
Now the Dying Your Way End of Life Training is available online 24/7 anywhere there is internet.
Many prefer to learn in the privacy of their own home using a self-paced approach.
Others prefer individual counselling with a certified end of life doula, using the Dying Your Way End of Life Training as a written and visual curriculum.
Either way, the goal is to create an informed care plan to support the dying patient and give clear end of life instructions to the family and palliative care team.
May this be a sacred end of life journey for you and those who love you.
Claire O’Berry
Co-Founder Dying Your Way and
certified End of Life Doula
Frequently Asked Questions
Who plans for death?
Hopefully you! The evidence is clear that without planning, end of life outcomes are chaotic, painful, expensive and burdensome to loved ones left behind.
What if I’m not ready to stop treatment?
Frequently, an individual will continue curative treatments in hope of a full recovery. We recommend early palliative care with curative treatments to allow for better quality of life. Because of modern medicine we can live a long time before reaching a terminal condition.
How can an end of life doula help me?
An end of life doula is a non medical role. Doulas are trained in all aspects of end of life, from the time you receive a terminal diagnosis to aftercare supporting your family. The Dying Your Way End of Life Doulas are specifically trained to educate you, support your creation of an end of life plan and to be your advocate throughout anticipated transitions.
What if I am too tired and sick to think about taking a course on dying?
Your closest family member or friend may use your login information and review the materials with you, helping you identify gaps that could really make a difference to a peaceful end of life.
What if I am alone?
Please reach out and start with a free 30 minute consultation (link) or email us at infor@dyingyourway.com. Taking the Dying Your Way End of Life Training and connecting with our certified End of Life Doulas will find the resources you will need for your circumstances in your community.
I’m currently healthy but still want to prepare, is this course open to those of us who are perfectly fine?
Absolutely! We will all die. We never know if there will come a time when we cannot speak for ourselves. Whether it is from a sudden illness, an accident or a slow, progressive illness we all need current plans in place to protect our loved ones and our assets. There is more to death literacy than most would imagine.
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