The Dying Year EOL Doula

Did you know that not everyone uses the same definition of Advance Care Planning? Find out what the key points are and how to facilitate others to complete this important task. Who knows, after this discussion, you even might want to sign up for ACP facilitator training :) Merilynne Rush, owner of?The Dying Year, has been a?Respecting Choices? Advance Care Planning Facilitator Trainer?since 2015 and has taught hundreds of end-of-life doulas and other healthcare professionals what ACP is all about. Whether you've done this for a long time or are just getting interested, this discussion will help you get re-energized to help others be prepared to choose an advocate and make informed healthcare choices at the end of life.

Lisa Marie is an experienced holistic caregiver and end-of-life doula, This week she leads a discussion about ways to take care of ourselves while caring for others. She will give concrete suggestions and invite your input and sharing. These discussions are always very enlightening and helpful. Lisa Marie has been involved in heart-centered service and advocacy since 2010. With a background in social work & family systems, activism, and plant medicine, she is passionate about community-based care. Lisa is a certified?Yoga Instructor and certified?EOL Doula through?The Dying Year, and is a valued member of our staff. She supports folks by providing spaces to explore death and transition by leaning into the wisdom of our bodies, sacred plants, and the earth. Her work is held in the prayer of honoring transitions as sacred gateways, ushering us into our deepest truth.

Omega Homes: A community response to the end-of-life caregiver crisis. Omega Homes offer a haven of loving support for people enrolled in hospice who can no longer remain in their own homes during the last months of life. They ease the burden on family caregivers by providing round-the-clock care. Join us as Kelley explains why they exists and how you can start one in your community. Kelley Scott has been caring for dying people throughout the 38 years of her nursing career. Her clinical experience includes inpatient oncology, bone marrow transplant, chronic ventilatory care, home hospice case management and serving as a palliative nurse consultant with an inpatient palliative care service. Kelley is the Executive Director of Clarehouse in Tulsa, OK (an Omega Home). She founded this project and has overseen all aspects of its start-up and development. Nationally, she serves as the President of Omega Home Network and provides consulting and mentoring to aspiring social model hospices. Kelley is a frequent speaker in end-of-life education and non-profit start-up and development.

Jane Euler, co-founder of?Present for You LLC,?will explain how their end-of-life doulas?support hospice, and how doulas can help solve several ongoing gaps in care within the health system. Learn how Jane formed collaborative relationships with hospice care providers to better serve families. After completing doula training with two different organizations and pursuing 'private pay' clients, Jane realized collaborating within current healthcare systems might serve more individuals and families. Jane obtained a masters in palliative care which solidified this commitment.? Jane Euler?has an MS?in Palliative Care from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She?is a practicing end-of-life doula, palliative care leader, and hospital hospice liaison who?provides support for individuals and their families navigating serious illness and the end of life.?Previously, she had a doula practice named Transition with Tranquility. Ms. Euler has been featured as a speaker at numerous conferences including CTAC/CAPC Leadership Summit and has become one of the leading voices in the role of doulas in caring for people with serious illness. In addition, she has extensive experience as a bedside attendant for those choosing medical aid in dying. Please join us!

"Grief comes in many ways that we don’t understand. With the help of knowing what to expect in grieving, we can work toward our healing." Christopher T. Johnson?is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in biology. He also has a Forensic Science certificate from Wayne State University. Mr. Johnson has certifications in Grief After Suicide, Advanced Grief Specialist, End-of-Life Death Doula, Grief Work in Virtual Settings, Preventing Suicide in Emergency Departments,?Supporting Young Adult Grief, and Advance Care Planning. Christopher has over 32 years of experience in Forensic Science as a Medicolegal Death Investigator and Pathologist Assistant. He has 19 years of experience as an Advanced Grief Specialist, End of Life Practitioner, and facilitator with many grief support groups for hospice, Victims’ Impact Panels, and youth grief and bereavement organizations. Mr. Johnson worked with at-risk youth and facilitated workshops, grief retreats, mentoring, expert panel for grief, and career guidance for over 20 years. He is a Board Member of Ele’s Place, a healing center for grieving children, and a member of The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance. Mr. Johnson says:?"In November 2016, I?had a near-death experience during?my spinal cord surgery. After my?experience and talking to God, I?knew I had a calling to do. I started doing Death Doula and Grief support full-time.?I am very enthusiastic about being an advocate for children who are grieving, as well as working with families who are experiencing the death of a?loved one." ?

Lisa Marie is an experienced holistic caregiver and end-of-life doula, This week she leads a discussion about ways to take care of ourselves while caring for others. She will give concrete suggestions and invite your input and sharing. These discussions are always very enlightening and helpful. Lisa Marie has been involved in heart-centered service and advocacy since 2010. With a background in social work & family systems, activism, and plant medicine, she is passionate about community-based care. Lisa is a certified?Yoga Instructor and certified?EOL Doula through?The Dying Year, and is a valued member of our staff. She supports folks by providing spaces to explore death and transition by leaning into the wisdom of our bodies, sacred plants, and the earth. Her work is held in the prayer of honoring transitions as sacred gateways, ushering us into our deepest truth.

Late last year I learned about the efforts of the Peaceful Presence Project to raise and distribute funds in Oregon for those who needed end-of-life care. I thought this was an excellent answer to the problem of equity in EOL doula care. Because EOL doulas are not regulated and licensed, there is no insurance reimbursement to cover the cost of hiring a doula. And I don't see this changing anytime soon (that is a separate conversation!). So how do we help those who can't afford to pay for a doula out-of-pocket? We create a foundation to raise and distrubute money! If Peaceful Presence can do it in OR, so can we in Michigan, and so can you in your state. Come learn all about how Evergreen EOL Care Foundation of Michigan started and what we are currently doing. We plan to be ready to fund EOL doula and a few other types of care by the end of this year. When I asked for volunteers to work on creating a Michigan fund, Robin Lehman and Jenny Turner, two local doulas, answered the call and began working right away. They have made incredible progress and now have a board of directors, incorporation, and a GoFundMe account to help defray the initial costs of becoming an official 501c.3 non-profit organization. Please join us this week to learn more and be inspired. And if you're able, you may make a donation ( https://lnkd.in/dxMQBUeU ) -Merilynne

This week we welcome Flen Baker! Flenord (Flen) Baker is a Marketing Manager for Open Arms Hospice based in Novi (SE), Michigan. He has over 20 years of experience?working in the healthcare arena and has spent the last 12 years focused on educating the community about the benefits of hospice care. Flen is dedicated to being a resource for seniors and is passionate about connecting them with the proper health care resources. His mission is to honor life and offer care and comfort with dignity, in order to ease the burdens of all patients, caregivers and families enduring the challenges of a severe and progressive illness. It is a privilege to have him speak with us this week and share his unique messaging to enlighten us all.

Older person abuse is an intentional act or failure to act, on the part of a caregiver or other trusted person, that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult (age 60 or oder).?Common types of abuse include: Physical, Sexual, Emotional or Psychological, Financial, or Neglect.?Abuse, including neglect and exploitation, is experienced by about 1 in 10 older adults who live at home?(CDC website). It's important for all end-of-life caregivers to?learn about the signs of elder abuse and ways to help look out for those at risk. Rachael Dawson-Baglien has worked for Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County (Michigan) since 2019 and is currently the Senior Resource Manager. She runs 'Senior Resource Connect,' a new technology-based initiative that connects older adults and caregivers with local resources, hopefully?before a crisis occurs. Part of this initiative is to?raise?awareness of the signs of elder abuse, and to educate?community members in ways to reach out to vulnerable older adults. Rachel earned her?MSW degree from the University of Michigan. She currently resides in Ypsilanti with her husband, infant daughter, and small dog.

This week, we welcome Carol Kinsey to share stories from her 24 years of experience as a hospice nurse. Bring all your questions!! Carol has been a nurse in different settings for 55 years, the last 24 years being in hospice -- in Chicago for 13 years and continuing in Northwest Ohio for 11 years. Carol retired this past December. In addition to being a nurse, Carol has organized community end-of-life workshops, given presentations related to hospice care, and served on the medical ethics committee at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She continues to enjoy making herself informally available to anyone seeking information or dealing with end-of-life situations for themselves or loved ones. Carol lives in Bowling Green, Ohio. Please join us for a great discussion!?