END OF LIFE

from 2023 BEACON Guide - Mesa County

HOME SERVICES

Ease the burden on your loved ones by planning your funeral and burial arrangements before you pass on. When medicine can no longer offer you a cure, hospice care can provide you comfort and support when you’re terminally ill, and can offer it to your family and friends as well.

Cemeteries ...........................................................55 End-of-Life Doulas.............................................55 Funeral & Bereavement..................................55 Hospice Care .......................................................55 Monuments & Headstones...........................55 Wills & Probate...................................................55

End-of-life Doulas

Compassionate companions through end-of-life transitions

By Diana Barnett

Lori Rienstra wished there was more she could’ve done for her parents when they died. She watched her father struggle with Alzheimer’s and did her best to manage her mother’s care from afar before she was moved to a hospice setting.

Witnessing the decline of her aging parents led Rienstra to HopeWest, where she volunteered her time with patients nearing the end of their lives. When she retired from her career as a social worker, Rienstra set off on a second career as an end-of-life doula.

EVOLUTION OF A DOULA

Originally, doulas were midwives that helped women transition into motherhood. Now the role has evolved to help both men and women transition from life with personalized support for the dying person and their loved ones.

“We’ve come full-circle,” said Mary Anne Holmes, 59, owner of Aistriu End-of-Life Doula.

Doulas are a calming and compassionate presence for those nearing the end of their life, helping to take away the fear and mysteries of death. They provide non-medical, holistic support by helping with advance directives, vigil care, providing respite and communicating with the family and medical team on the patient’s behalf.

“Having someone familiar and comfortable with the dying process as a companion is quite valuable,” Rienstra said.

Leah Cabot with Leah Magdelene, LLC earned her doula certification after keeping vigil over her grandmother, Gina.

“Watching my grandmother die, although very sad, was an inspiration to me,” said Cabot, 43. “She died as she lived, being very much a participant to the end. She had no unfinished business and no regrets. She had a great network of friends and allowed people to support her.” SERVICES AND COSTS

Generally, doulas can be with a patient from diagnosis to the very end.

“Our role is to listen to and accompany people where they are,” said Rienstra.

Most doulas charge for services either hourly or as part of a package, while others base fees on a sliding scale. Doula services are not currently covered by Medicare or Medicaid.

Services may differ depending on a doula’s experience and expertise. For example, Rienstra, who started Alpenglow End-of-Life Resource & Support, provides animal-assisted therapy with her dog, JoJo. She also collaborates with a friend to provide music therapy.

Cabot uses guided imagery to help her patients visualize experiences they loved when they were well, such as walking on a beach, skiing or gardening.

“Lots of things are possible to immerse the patient in nature,” said Cabot. “They may need to be near a window to be able to feel the sun on their face. A bucket of sand can be the next closest thing to putting your feet on the ground. Soundtracks or a diffuser can introduce nature sounds and smells.”

Rienstra also assists patients in reviewing their life and encourages them to share and talk about important events and memories. She can also document these stories in various momento projects, which provide comforting memories for loved ones left behind.

Doula services can also help friends and family members process their grief.

Rienstra expressed the importance of family presence during the end-of-life process.

“It’s important to keep talking to your loved ones,” she said. “Hearing is the last sense to go. Tell them stories about memories and what impact their life has had on you. People are alive until they take their last breath, and can often hear, even though they may not show a response.”

Learn more about end-of-life doulas at www.conscious dyinginstitute.com or the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) at www.inelda.org. ■

City of Grand Junction Municipal Cemeteries Orchard Mesa & Crown Point .........................970-244-1550 Elmwood Cemeteries, Fruita ........................................970-858-7219 Grand Junction Memorial Gardens............................970-243-3490 Palisade Municipal Cemetery.......................................970-464-5602 Veterans Memorial Cemetery ......................................970-263-8986 Whitewater Cemetery Association............................970-216-0365

END-OF-LIFE DOULAS

Aistriu End-of-Life Doula.................................................970-201-2610 Alpenglow End-of-Life Resource & Support......... 970-260-4388 Leah Magdelene, LLC.......................................................970-314-0857

FUNERAL & BEREAVEMENT

Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Services, See ad page 56 ................................................ 970-255-8888 Callahan-Edfast Mortuary & Crematory.................. 970-243-2450 Martin Mortuary & Crematory .....................................970-243-1538

Full-Service Funeral Home

On-Site Cremation Serving the Grand Valley and all areas within 200 miles

www.snydermemorials.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 970-242-2020 Abode Hospice and Home Health, See ad page 45 ................................................ 970-658-8705 HopeWest, See ad page 17.............................. 970-241-2212 La Villa Grande Care Center, See ad page 6 ................................................... 970-245-1211 After Hours.................................................... 970-361-1630 National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (hospice helpline) ............................................................800-658-8898 Visiting Angels, See ad page 12...................... 970-254-8888

MONUMENTS & HEADSTONES

Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Services, See ad page 56 ................................................ 970-255-8888 Morris Monument, LLC, See ad page 55 ....... 970-323-6658 Snyder Memorials, See ad page 52.................970-242-2020 Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado.............................................................970-263-8986 Wreaths Across America (decorates veterans’ graves for Christmas)......................................................................970-250-1174