Typically in 4, 8, 12, and 24 hour blocks for 24-48 hours during the 2-5 days of active dying. We will outline your wishes during our first meeting. Some are writing vigil service into their end-of-life plans. Others have sudden situations or changes that can lead to an unplanned need for bedside vigil (accidents, travel delays, etc.). Anyone who does not want to die alone shouldn’t.

This is often for

• people who have a strong caregiver/support system in advance of death and know for any number of reasons that they want a doula present for the active dying phase

• people who wish for companionship in their last days without caregivers available

• those who decide without much time left that they want support through the active dying phase

In addition to direct bedside vigil, this package ranges from $1200-$1800 and can include:

• creating and supporting vigil schedule (reminders, communications, etc.)

• support with actualizing end-of-life plans

• notifying funeral home and/or loved ones

• grief support on site for shifts of your vigil for you and/or your attendants and caregivers.

• last minute emergent support for people who didn’t have a plan. Not judging, life and death happen fast or in ways we can’t always plan for. I’m here for that, too.

Grief and death doulas are people who are unafraid of your grief. We step right into the center with you and ask: how can I help? Grieving is exhausting and lasts (forever?) longer than most people around us acknowledge. Support is needed far beyond the first few days of a loss of someone of significance or a major life change.

The two most common reasons for a person to seek 1-6 months of personalized griefcare support are quite different from one another: 1.) personalized support, particularly for sudden loss, by immediately taking a layer of organization and day-to-day functioning off the plate to give more space and capacity for grief 2.) people without regional and/or communal support systems looking for ongoing support to tend to life and grief. For example: an elder has lost their spouse and children live in another state. I am hired to provide additional support in the meantime between visits from children, etc.

At $800/month for 8-16 hours each month a trained, experienced doula can:

• prepare and/or cook meals to specification (including child-friendly options available).

• organize meal trains and other community supports.

• be a flexible and non-judgemental presence to deal with cooking, cleaning, children and family members, direct grief support, and/or errands all in the same afternoon.

• help you coordinate end-of-life tasks.

• help you honor the life of the person gone through legacy work, life review, ceremonies or celebrations, and/or practices for continuing bonds with the dead.

• help you to process grief in personalized ways (creative expression, movement, rituals and ceremonies, grief groups for/with family/friend groups).

• go for walks, read aloud to you, listen to or read something and talk with you about it (podcasts, books, memes, etc.).

• be “alone together”; often people don’t want to be physically alone while they do not want active engagement the whole time either.

• if it’s in my doula realm, I’m game! As a wise person once told me: “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.” Please ask; if I can, I will. I’ll be offering openly, too, while honoring your yes or no as to what is needed in that moment. I do not serve beyond my boundaries. You can trust that.

• Monthly griefcare clients may attend most programming at The Grief Center at no cost.