In providing emotional support, we are helping to create a peaceful environment.

Emotional support is the essence of our presence. During our entire journey with the dying and their family our presence is one of the most stabilizing gifts we can offer. 

This article is for those people called to be a doula for the dying.

After someone has died, I encourage the family to take as long as they need to be with their loved one. I encourage them to wait before they call hospice and have as much private time as they can now because once you call hospice, action begins to remove the body.

​We never know how someone feels about something until we do.16 years ago I went to our local humane society and adopted an adorable white and black long haired cat; we named her Alice. My daughters were 2 and 4 years old and I was married to their dad at 

​Most of us have heard this term. It is the noisy rattling sound a dying person makes that can be very disturbing to hear. 

As a person nears the end of life, there are some very basic similarities that may be seen which cross the type of illness or 'reason' for dying. 

There is a phenomenon called terminal agitation, which may occur when a person is near the end of life.

​I found a cassette tape under a bunch of papers on my desk and put it in my recorder (that barely works). When I pressed play this is where it began:

When someone is dying a natural death, there is a breathing pattern that usually happens. It goes something like this: a deep breath or two, then holding it, followed by a shallow breath or two, and so on. It is an uneven pattern of inhales and exhales. It can be scary if you don't know it is coming.