In college, Jason was a finance student and fraternity president, set on becoming a hedge fund manager. But when his dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, his entire identity shattered. He was severely depressed, alone, and at his lowest point, but “by the grace of God,” he got through it. That pain taught him how much we all need connection and understanding, especially in our darkest moments. Now, his mission is to build community and ensure people know they’re not alone on their path.

All There Is with Anderson Cooper

Podcast

Heads up for those who haven’t tuned in yet: Anderson Cooper and CNN are now in the third season of their grief podcast, All There Is With Anderson Cooper. Anderson, whose mother died in 2019, began this podcast in 2022 to give a platform to the stories of others experiencing grief and loss. It is an exploration of grief, how grief impacts different people, and how we continue to live in the wake of loss. As an addition to this season’s content, CNN has also created an online community where thousands of audience members’ stories are featured and where you can share your own stories. “Listening to these voicemails is incredibly moving and has helped me feel less alone in my grief,” Anderson shares. “I hope this online grief community will help others feel less alone in their grief as well.” We encourage you to give a listen to these compelling interviews and dig into the ways in which grief shapes our lives. 

Listen on: Spotify // iTunes // Website

Educators Omni Kitts Ferrara, Wilka Roig, and Kim Stravers joined learners for a three-day training in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this past month. Fun fact: The INELDA team randomly ended up staying on a dead-end road named Vigil! It was great to be in Santa Fe and be in community with the group that joined the training.

Bridge Training is for those interested in learning the INELDA Doula Approach launched in September 2024 and latest techniques covered in our current end-of-life doula curriculum. If your INELDA training occurred before this period or you trained with another doula organization, we look forward to sharing our process-based model with you. For those interested in applying for our yearlong certification program and have not taken either INELDA’s End-of-Life Doula Training or the Hospice Doula Training, the Bridge Training provides a direct route to be able to apply. REGISTER by May 9 for our May 17 training.

Sociologist and researcher Sarah Donley is conducting a study on “the emergence, professionalization, and impact of end-of-life doulas in reshaping end-of-life care. She is seeing participants for interviews via Zoom lasting between one and one and a half hours. The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at Jacksonville State University. If interested please contact Sarah via email at [email protected].

Did you know INELDA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization? We rely on public support and program revenue to meet our annual budget and continue providing education and community programs, scholarships, advocacy, and outreach to expand the presence of end-of-life doulas. Help INELDA meet its mission and transform end-of-life care with a monthly gift of $5, $10, or more. CLICK HERE to become an INELDA Sustainer today!

Support INELDA here

Join our Discovery call April 16 at 5 p.m. ET. Our one-year certification program was designed to enhance your skills as an end-of-life doula through mentorship, peer review, and continuing education. In this Discovery Call, learn about the program’s structure, certification requirements, and how certification can elevate your professional practice. This hourlong conversation is for trained end-of-life doulas seeking growth and anyone considering certification to deepen their impact in end-of-life care.

Join us for our April webinar, “Communication Skills Lab: Role-Playing Difficult Dialogues,” with Compassionate Coaching founder Erin Whalen and role player Elizabeth Jernigan. This webinar will be a role-playing workshop wherein participants are encouraged to bring in difficult situations they have encountered or expect to encounter while supporting the dying. This workshop is meant to hone our communication skills through practice. If you have a scenario that you hope to learn from, we invite you to bring your story to the workshop to explore with Compassionate Coaching. This team works with medical teams throughout the country.

This workshop is an excellent opportunity to practice these difficult conversations, explore new approaches to communication, and gain insight from role play. If you don’t have a scenario to share, we invite you to attend as an audience member and to learn by watching the participants. If you do have a scenario that you would like to share and your scenario is chosen, you will be in your role as the end-of-life doula while the Compassionate Coaching team will act as the dying individual or their circle of care. 

When diagnosed with a difficult cancer diagnosis, consulting with a social worker can be useful for help with resources and suggestions for logistical support as well. It’s a lot to balance going through cancer treatment while thinking about the day-to-day needs of the family. Support groups for patients, caregivers, and children are also a good idea. As an oncology nurse, I think it’s also appropriate to focus on hope in this situation. While treatment will likely be challenging, there have been many advances in recent years. From a doula perspective, it is equally appropriate to explore the meaning of a life-threatening illness and to consider legacy work. 

—Donna Neumark

Redesigning the End is an education platform for deathcare learners to further their education around estate planning, eldercare, senior housing, and more. Redesigning the End provides various courses—some of which are offered for free, with focuses that include green burials, after-death care for doulas, and more. Some of these courses provide certifications as well. In addition to online courses, the company also produces a podcast that focuses on death, doulas, caregivers, inheritance, and other death-centric topics.

With thousands of employees at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) being laid off through the Trump administration’s reduction in force initiative, health care services, including those that directly affect end of life, are forecast to be dramatically affected.

The United States ranks higher in maternal mortality than a number of nations with less developed health care systems or less robust economies, including Tajikstan, Moldova, and both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to the Central Intelligence Agency’s world fact book. Many of these deaths are preventable, as demonstrated by the success of initiatives designed to improve community rates for all people giving birth.

Delaware may become the 11th state to support medical aid in dying. In March, the Delaware House of Representatives passed a bill that echoes MAiD laws from the other 10 states where the practice is legal: mentally capable adult residents of Delaware with a terminal illness who have received a prognosis of six months or less to live can receive medicine to be self-ingested and end their life.