Death Work

“Legacy Curation” is the term I use for my death work.  I am a certified end of life professional and death doula, so let’s break that down:

I am a professional who provides emotional, practical, and spiritual support to individuals and their families who are facing the end of life. My role is to create a peaceful, comfortable, and dignified dying experience for the dying person, and to help their loved ones navigate the dying process and cope with grief and loss.

Some of the tasks that I may perform include:

1. Helping the dying person and their family develop a plan for end-of-life care, including decisions about medical treatment, hospice care, and funeral arrangements

2. Providing emotional and spiritual support to the dying person and their loved ones

3. Facilitating communication between the dying person and their family and friends

4. Helping the dying person and their loved ones process feelings of fear, anxiety, and grief

5. Educating the dying person and their loved ones about the dying process and what to expect

6. Providing practical support, such as help with household tasks and errands

7. Creating a peaceful and calming environment for the dying person, such as through music, aromatherapy, or other sensory experiences.

It's important to note that I do not provide medical care or assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), which are typically provided by healthcare professionals or caregivers. Rather, my role is to provide emotional, practical, and spiritual support to help the dying person and their loved ones navigate the end-of-life journey with as much grace and dignity as possible.

I call my practice Legacy Curation because I work specifically with curating the expression that is a life (whether that be your own, that of a loved one or companion animal, or that of something intangible to anyone else) into a tangible expression.

This practice can take many forms.  It can be a memorial portrait.  It can be helping to organize and plan a home altar.  Creating a cookbook or dinner celebration from family recipes.  It can be curating and safeguarding a memorial chair at a wedding.  It can be funeral rites for a deadname.  There is no limit to what form legacy curation can take.

I am here to help you or a loved one find that form, and create it.  Legacy Curations are different from commissions and begin with an open conversation and consultation with consideration to the vulnerability of the project as well as the sensitive nature of the topic.  If it is not something I believe I can complete for you, I will do everything in my power to find another qualified death worker who will.