Finding Peace at the End of Life

A Death Doula's Guide for Families and Caregivers

$18.95

1129 in stock

Imprint: Red Wheel
Availability: In stock
“Warm stories of client experiences give permission to imagine a death experienced with as much humanity as the rest of life, with profound results for everyone affected by the event. Fersko-Weiss’s perspective is a desperately needed reminder of the value of facing life’s most difficult transitions with open eyes and hearts.” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review
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Book Details

Pages

256 Pages

Size

6 x 9

Format

Trade Paperback

Pub. Date

08/01/2020

ISBN

978-1-59003-502-3

Publisher

Red Wheel Weiser

Authors

Henry Fersko-Weiss, LCSW, is executive director of the International End-of-Life Doula Association. In 2003, Henry created the very first End-of-Life Doula Program in the US at a hospice in New York City and has built many other programs based on his model. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. He is on the faculty of the Open Center’s Art of Dying Institute. Visit him at www.inelda.org.

“Beautiful, poignant, pitch perfect and accessible . . . a road-map for clinicians, patients, family members, and caregivers”—BJ Miller, MD, author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death

This groundbreaking book encourages us to face our fears and engage in an open, honest dialog about death.  Here, longtime “death doula” Henry Fersko-Weiss helps the dying discover meaning in their lives, express that meaning in powerful and beautiful legacies, and plan for their final days with dignity.

The doula approach to death emphasizes thoughtful planning for how the last days should look, sound, and feel, and encourages the use of touch, guided imagery, and ritual during the dying process. It also calls for around-the-clock vigil care, which provides emotional and spiritual support for both the dying person and their loved ones.

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“Warm stories of client experiences give permission to imagine a death experienced with as much humanity as the rest of life, with profound results for everyone affected by the event. Fersko-Weiss’s perspective is a desperately needed reminder of the value of facing life’s most difficult transitions with open eyes and hearts.” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Written for families and caregivers, this book provides a clear overview of end-of-life doulas and a compelling case for their wider use in terminal care.  It also supplies some wonderful ideas and techniques for all readers who want to have a more peaceful, meaningful death for themselves or their loved ones.” – Library Journal Starred Review
“This brave, reassuring book succeeds at eliminating the negativity surrounding death, reframing what seems like a passive, painful experience as an active journey that ‘captures the concentrated fragrance of a person’s life, its sweetest flavor.’” –Foreword Reviews
 
"This is a pitch perfect, accessible book on an otherwise inaccessible subject. Just what the world needs right now. Mr. Fersko-Weiss points us to all sorts of ways to find meaning at the end of life, or ways to create it. His beautiful and poignant stories can be used as road-maps, not only for clinicians, but also for patients, family members, or caregivers who wish to stay connected through to the end of life." - BJ Miller, MD, author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End
BJ Miller, MD
“An inspired and practical guide on accompanying those on the precipice of death. Henry reaches into his years of experience in leading doula trainings to provide the reader with invaluable tools. He focuses in on the essential non-medical elements that really matter like deep listening, sitting vigil, establishing a calm and receptive environment and facilitating meaningful rituals. Lots of wisdom in these pages.” - Frank Ostaseski, author Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, founder of the Metta Institute and co-founder of the Zen Hospice Project
Frank Ostaseski
“An extraordinary contribution to the care of the dying. Through story and instruction, Henry Fersko-Weiss offers his great wisdom on how we can offer meaningful care that can not only ease an individual’s dying but provide consolation to family and friends as they cope with grief and loss.” - Kenneth J. Doka, author of Grief is a Journey
Kenneth J. Doka
“Henry’s calm, practical, and pioneering book is an excellent guide for those wishing to learn how to be a doula for the dying, whether formal or informal, which will certainly also make them an inspiration for the consciously living. This book should be taken up with great relief to guide us from now, while vibrantly alive, and certainly at the time of transition.” - Robert A. F. Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and author of Infinite Life and Man of Peace
Robert A. F. Thurman