FAQ
Is training necessary to be a midwife to the dying (death midwife) or home funeral guide?
Donna explains in person in this video YouTube
Can I be a home funeral guide or end-of-life consultant as a profession and earn a living wage?
I wish I could answer this frequently asked question with a strong “Absolutely!” But the answer to this is a little more involved. This work is just becoming visible in North America and it requires educating the public about what is available. I compare it to being a yoga teacher, celebrant or life coach … yes, people can make money at it and some earn a living wage. But most earn a little money, not quite a living wage, and do the work for the pleasure and rewards that come with it.
As part of the course we discuss how to market this service, and in the practicum/retreat/intensive we even present a public home funeral workshop so students have direct experience of marketing to the public. ~ Donna
Why call this practice “Beyond Hospice”?
Hospice uses a multidisciplinary approach which means that a team of people provide different services. I see the roles of midwife to the dying and home funeral guide as an extension and wider circle of that team. Although it didn’t begin that way, today a big part of the hospice experience is the medical involvement. Our work is more focused on the heart of the person dying, and the transition process itself from this life to the next. That practice or focus of transition is a step beyond hospice (hence the name!). To me, a home funeral or lying in honor at home, is the next logical step for people who die at home having been cared for by their loved ones. It is an extension of, or a step beyond hospice. ~ Donna
Is there an outline of the course content that I can view to see if it meets my needs?
Yes, please visit this page: Details of online modules
I’m interested in setting up an organization for assisting those who wish to care for their own in my area. What advice can you give on this?
I was introduced to home funerals through the film, “A Family Undertaking.” The film was shown as at the Waldorf School in Austin, Texas. After viewing the film many of the people said they wanted to create a circle of helping friends to offer each other support in doing home funerals and green burials. The film is available through Netflix.com and is a great way to demonstrate the many aspects of family-directed funerals.
For me personally, the film was the catalyst for my advocacy work in death midwifery, green burials and home funerals. The woman who helped to bring the film to Austin through the Waldorf School was Sandy Booth. She and I continue to work together to offer presentations and workshops at libraries, churches, hospices, hospitals, other community groups, and people’s homes. We are very flexible and offer 30-minute, 1-hour or 3-hour presentations.
Sandy and I are both volunteers with a local hospice, and we are both members of the local chapter of the Funeral Consumer Alliance (FCA) called AMBIS. When we first started working with AMBIS we had to educate many of the volunteers about home funerals. We did this by holding workshops and presenting at their annual meeting. We have even done a fundraiser workshop for AMBIS where we charge for people to attend the workshop and donate the money to AMBIS.
Home funerals and green burials are definitely in alignment with what the FCA and their chapters support. It is part of the task of the FCA affiliate to keep up with the consumer funeral laws in their respective states. They can be an excellent resource for state laws pertaining to home funerals. Of course, some affiliates are more active and knowledgeable than others, but the national office is always available and very helpful.
We have offered fundraiser workshops for AMBIS as a way to work further with them. And whenever we do a workshop in the community we have information available and talk about the advantages of joining FCA.
As a way of gaining more exposure for home funerals, we offer library presentations which are usually about an hour in length. We reserve a room at the library (this is free) and announce the presentation in a local entertainment publication with free event listings. We usually hold these on Tuesday evenings. The library talks are strictly an educational event, and we have put together a slide show to give people an idea of what is involved with green burials and home funerals.
We also offer 3-hour workshops where we show people how to provide after-death care for a body and do an in-home vigil. We usually hold these on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. We do a mock in-home vigil to really let people experience the process of caring for a loved one at home. We have held these workshops in art galleries, people’s homes, hospices, etc. We ask for a small donation for these workshops ($10-$15).
I would suggest working with a buddy if possible. It is strengthening to have someone to talk with about different ideas and to help publicize the talks and workshops.
I know the feeling of being alone out there in the wilderness in pioneering these ideas, but there is a growing support system across the US of other home funeral guides. One of the things that has helped me is to keep track of the articles about home funerals published in national publications. I keep a list of these and make it available to people to demonstrate that this is a growing US trend.
Helping people with in-home vigils and home funerals is a beautiful and rewarding way to be of service. ~ Donna
Can I take only the midwifery portion of the course and not the home funeral portion?
Of the 32 lessons in the course only two of them are on “home funerals”. The majority of the training is about the skills as a midwife to the dying because those skills are necessary before and after death. I feel it is important to know how to provide natural after-death care for a loved one because the family will probably appreciate an in-home vigil of at least a few hours. And it is important to know the process to go through, the ceremonies that can help, and the laws that must be followed in your state. ~ Donna
I’m interested in setting up an organization for assisting those who wish to care for their own in my area. What advice can you give on this?
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