Sarah Kerr is a death doula and educator based in Victoria. This is a transcript from her video. As a death doula, I help dying people and their families navigate endings. I help them to navigate the loss of something incredibly precious – of relationships, of love in this physical dimension. It’s a huge process of saying goodbye, and of…
If you’re asked to be an executor, ensure you understand what is requested before accepting. Consider the following: What is your health like? Your abilities? Do you have the skills needed to do this job? How complex is the estate? What is the value of the assets? The higher the value, the more potential for problems (but the higher your…
Following is the script from a School of Life YouTube video titled Reasons to Remember Death. The School of Life is a global organization helping people to lead more fulfilled lives through useful resources and tools. The fast-paced video is directed to those of us who are not actively dying. This is about death, our death, and how useful it…
The five stages of grief were first identified by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in 1969 as Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Grief isn’t a linear process. It isn’t as if we experience stage one, followed by stage two, etc. When we’re struck by grief, we’re all over the map, consumed by one major feeling and cycling through different aspects, moment by…
The Cortes Island DeathCaring Collective works to integrate death as a natural part of community life by initiating conversations, providing education, and encouraging people to plan ahead on issues related to end-of-life, and empowering, guiding, and supporting the practice and process of caring for our own dead and dying, in community. The DeathCaring Collective began on Cortes in 2019, inspired…
This information was mainly extracted from a video by Sarah Kerr from the Centre for Sacred Death Care. A funeral service is a focused intentional ritual that facilitates healing. When done well, it serves the person who has died, the close family and friends, and the larger community. This requires a structure able to hold the depth of grief and…
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, a casket is shaped like a box, while a coffin is tapered and has six sides rather than four. To shroud a body simply means to wrap it in cloth. Although caskets are often purchased from a funeral home, they can be built by friends or family, custom made on the island, ordered…
A DeathCaring Collective intention, within and for our community, is ‘death as part of life’. Death is often difficult, scary, and overwhelming. It is natural for us to want to distance ourselves from the pain of it, and there is an underlying belief in our culture that suffering can be avoided. It takes a lot of courage, and usually significant…
Some people who are critically ill need an organ transplant to live. But there are a lot more organs needed than are available. Many people choose to donate organs upon their death. The best way to record your decisions to be an organ donor is by registering with the BC Transplant Organ Registry. This ensures that health care providers in…
Many of us would like to die in our own home. Although it may not always be possible, it is far more likely when one is prepared. Much of this information also applies to a death in a hospital or care facility, as the body can be returned home. If the death of your loved one is expected within a…