NOVEMBER 2022

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NOVEMBER 2022

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INELDA’s Framework Redefined

by Douglas Simpson

After a collaborative team effort, I have the honor to share the new vision, mission, and values of the organization. These new organizational principles reflect the work that we have been doing internally and have begun initiating externally in the communities we engage with.

We are charged with our new vision of ensuring that all individuals have accessible, equitable, and compassionate deathcare that holistically affirms one’s humanity and supports end-of-life choices. These tenets guide our work and daily decision-making. We acknowledge that people die in all types of places and that end-of-life doulas can play a vital role for the dying individual everywhere.

doula Profile
Coprice Jones
Coprice was born in Chicago. She is the middle daughter of Shelia Curry and the oldest of Walter McCoy. Miss Jones is the mother of Amber Jones and Issiah Rushing. She experienced rape, abuse, and molestation at the tender age of 13, as well as experiencing domestic violence and homelessness, which she never allowed to deter her from her accomplishments.
She currently is the CEO and founder of Serenity Care Services, Inc., an in-home care services provider in Chicago that specializes in hospice and end-of-life doula care. She received her End-of-Life Doula Training from INELDA. In addition, she is the CEO, founder, and inventor of Maturitease, a non-disposable undergarment product. She is the executive producer of a movie highlighting her journey doing end-of-life and doula care, as well as the author of two books.
Q&A with Coprice
When and why did you decide to become an end-of-life doula?
I can’t say it was a conscious decision as much as it was an answer to a call. This career path chose me. I believe it was a divine appointment, as I was introduced to hospice after taking care of my father, who died from mesothelioma in 2001. Becoming an end-of-life doula was a natural progression in the next step of my career, because I wanted patients to experience the same quality of care that I gave my father until he took his last breath.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Going Deeper | Grief

November 15 – 18 | TUE, WED & FRI 6pm ET

Going Deeper for Grief is designed to meet the needs of people who desire to gain knowledge and skills to support themselves or others processing grief. Learners will explore the grief process for themselves and others, develop skills to cope with personal feelings related to death-related and non-death-related loss and grief, strengthen skills in helping relationships, and identify ways one can advocate on behalf of the bereaved. This class meets three sessions for three hours each. REGISTER HERE

•INTENSIVE• End-of-Life Doula Training

November 18 – 20 | FRI 9pm-1am & SAT/SUN 1pm-9pm ET

This ONLINE intensive training, timed to the West Coast, is open to all and will meet for three sessions from Friday to Sunday; one four-hour session and two eight-hour sessions. The training is limited to 25 individuals and may be ideal for those with a limited schedule and those who live in different time zones or abroad. During INELDA’s intensive End-of-Life Doula Training, all material presented in our standard training will be covered. **PLEASE NOTE: Times listed above are in Eastern Standard Time. REGISTER HERE

MEDIA OF THE MONTH

End Well Podcast

hosts Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider & Tracy Wheeler

Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, founder of the nonprofit End Well, and the organization’s executive director, Tracy Wheeler, launched the End Well Podcast this October. The first season brings guest experts such as relationship therapist Esther Perel; death doula Alua Arthur; comedian Jeremie Saunders, who is living with cystic fibrosis; and others who are investigating “why having a healthy relationship with dying is the first step towards having a more joyous relationship with living.”

ecotherapy for end-of-life

by Veronica Wiley (they/them), MBA (outdoor industry), ecotherapy facilitator, E-RYT, EOL doula

Ecotherapy, as defined by Jordan and Hinds in the 2016 publication Ecotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, are psychotherapeutic activities (counseling, psychotherapy, social work, self-help, prevention, public health activities) that: are undertaken with ecological consciousness or intent; often utilize natural settings, activities, or processes as an integral part of the therapeutic process; focus on ecological aspects of self, identity, and behavior; and are at various scales, from personal to planetary.

A less clinical view of ecotherapy can be described as a process for healing the relationship between humans and nature. The idea that nature exists outside of ourselves and is something that takes effort and intention to connect to reflects our modern society. Eastern culture and philosophy often emphasize that the causes of human suffering arise from this myth of separation from nature and universal life force energies.

INELDA UPDATE
JOSHUA’S HOUSE WELCOMES INELDA FOR IN-PERSON SACRAMENTO TRAINING THIS DECEMBER
Joshua’s House, a hospice organization in Sacramento, California, has graciously offered to host End-of-Life Doula Training Friday through Saturday, December 9 to 11, 2022. This course includes over 20 hours of in-person instruction and 12-15 hours of self-study prior and post to the classroom learning. READ MORE	INELDA Educator Kris Kington-Barker leads this training

INELDA PARTNERS WITH EMPATH HEALTH FOR TRAININGS
INELDA has partnered with Empath Health to bring trainings to Tidewell and Suncoast Hospice volunteers for locations serving Tampa Bay and southwest Florida. With the reduction in COVID-19 restrictions in Florida in 2022, INELDA-trained EOL doulas are increasingly joining in supporting hospice care teams in homes and hospice care center settings. READ MORE

DOULA OPPORTUNITY: FLINDERS UNIVERSITY STUDY
We received a request from two researchers at Flinders University in Australia who are focusing on end-of-life essentials. They would like to interview loved ones who have worked with an EOL doula and learn about their experiences. PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY

BOARD TRANSITIONS
We would like to thank Oscar Cohen and Pastor Corey L. Kennard for their deep commitment and service to INELDA’s board of trustees. Over their collective years, they have independently offered valuable insights and expertise to the organization. We are grateful for the ideas and insights that they carried and the thoughtfulness with which they served.

IN THE NEWS
Program development director Dr. Jamie Eaddy Chism was interviewed by Natalie Gale for the October 24 edition of The Good Trade newsletter.

INELDA’S NOVEMBER WEBINAR
Monthly Open Webinar

A Conversation With PAUSE
November 30 \| WED 7-8:30pm ET
Join us for an evening with Alica Forneret, founder and executive director of PAUSE, an organization focused on supporting communities of color through grief and end of life. INELDA’s director of program development, Dr. Jamie Eaddy Chism, will join in conversation with Alica about the foundation of her work and PAUSE’s new business development residency, a no-cost offering for organizations, business owners, and concept creators from communities of color to receive support for their work in grief and end of life.
Alica Forneret (she/her) is an educator, speaker, and consultant dedicated to creating new spaces for people to explore grief. Alica’s writing and work about grief, work, and race have been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, GQ, and more. READ MORE
Cost: Free with INELDA membership \| non-members $15

PRACTICE CORNER

TOOLBOX TIPS
	In the event you are working with a client who hoards, there are some important things to know. Hoarding falls under the umbrella of obsessive-compulsive disorders and is closely related to anxiety disorders as well. It is complicated, and to remove things from their apartment will only significantly increase the anxiety.
There is some sense of security in having every space filled. OCD is one of the most difficult mental disorders to treat. People who hoard are ashamed and embarrassed and protective of their “stuff.” It would be a good idea to get mental health professionals involved for a consultation if nothing else before you decide to take this on. Be careful, and if you go into the living space of a client who hoards, be sure to wear a mask and gloves for your own safety. —Sharon Schmidt

SHARING SOURCES
ARCHANGELS
ARCHANGELS, a women-owned, Massachusetts-based company, was cofounded by CEO Alexandra Drane in 2017 with the goal to make change happen for unpaid caregivers across the nation.

Through an omnichannel data-driven engagement platform, ARCHANGELS first helps people understand that what they are doing is care, using their tool, the Caregiver Intensity IndexTM (CII). This two-and-a-half-minute quiz results in an “intensity score” and puts caregivers in categories of green, yellow, or red based on their unique caregiving reality. The CII also identifies the caregiver’s “drivers” of caregiver intensity, as well as the top two things that may be buffering that intensity—things like support from family and feeling purpose in caregiving. Caregivers can also connect to free resources available in their area.

ASK INELDA

When does ritual come into play during the dying process? I am having a hard time distinguishing what is a ritual and what is the vigil.—Spring class participant

Educator Claudette Peterson: I am so glad you said that. A ritual can happen at any time. It can also be part of a vigil. In the wonderful book Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration, and Change by Day Schildkret, there are even three rituals when receiving a diagnosis. As people move closer to death, INELDA materials suggest a ritual for when people transition from seeking curative treatment to going on to hospice care and working on quality of life versus a cure. READ MORE

Please submit questions to [email protected]

GIVING TUESDAY

Join Our Doula Scholarship Fundraising Efforts!

We are so grateful to you for being part of our doula community and ensuring that all individuals have accessible, equitable, and compassionate deathcare. This Giving Tuesday, INELDA is raising much-needed funds to provide training to members of the BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, underserved and low-income communities, Veterans; and persons living with a disability.

Come join our scholarship fundraising efforts and make your early, tax-deductible donation today! Support a community by providing access to doula training!

INELDA is inspired that there are so many who want to become doulas and give back to their respective communities. This year, we have been able to provide scholarships to over 130 recipients.

Join forces with us and amplify INELDA’s message by signing up for our fundraising toolkit and becoming part of our team! With you as part of our Giving Tuesday Doula Scholarships Fund, we know we can do even more in 2023!

News Briefs
Study Looks at Disparities in Rural and Urban Health
An important AARP study looked at the disparities for the 20 million Americans 50 years and older who live in rural areas. Prior research has shown that the rural population is more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than those living in urban areas—disparities that are closely tied to social determinants of health. READ MORE

American Indian and Alaska Native Elders Have Highest Rates of Pneumococcal Vaccination
Another AARP Public Policy Institute report found that American Indian and Alaska Native elders have the highest rates (47%) of the pneumococcal vaccination, which fights pneumonia. Pneumonia is a leading cause of death for this group of elders, occurring at a rate four times higher than the general population. READ MORE

Continued Cancer Treatment at End of Life May Have Drawbacks
This October, JAMA Oncology issued a report indicating that systemic anticancer therapy is associated with increased acute care use, delayed conversations about goals of care, late hospice enrollment, higher costs, and possibly adverse quality and duration of life. READ MORE

The Final Word

Her Garden
by Donald Hall
I let her garden go. let it go, let it go How can I watch the hummingbird Hover to sip With its beak’s tip The purple bee balm—whirring as we heard It years ago? The weeds rise rank and thick let it go, let it go Where annuals grew and burdock grows, Where standing she At once could see The peony, the lily, and the rose Rise over brick She’d laid in patterns. Moss let it go, let it go Turns the bricks green, softening them By the gray rocks Where hollyhocks That lofted while she lived, stem by tall stem, Blossom with loss.

© INELDA 2021 International End of Life Doula Association is a
501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization
Tax ID#: 47-3023741

Phone: 201-540-9049

Donate to INELDA this Giving Tuesday