Roseanne is 92 and under conservatorship. This means that a judge has appointed a conservator who has never met her and knows nothing about her to make all her decisions.

Roseanne outlived all her family and was living contentedly with her cats in a rambling house in the San Fernando Valley until I took her to the doctor to get antibiotics for a bladder infection.

The doctor asked her four questions; “What’s your name? When is your birthday? Where do you live? Who is the president?” Roseanne forgot her birthday and wasn’t sure whether it was George Bush or ‘the other guy,’ Continue reading “Roseanne” →

A short film illustrating the home funeral process.

Dorothy called Sacred Crossings because she wanted put her things in order. She had a heart condition and cancer but at 95 she felt it wasn’t necessary to have treatment, “I’m going to die anyway so what’s the point in prolonging things?’ she said cheerfully.  Continue reading “TAKE ME HOME – the movie” →

It was certainly not my life plan to be a death midwife.

Born and raised in rural England, I trained as a music teacher for special needs children and put myself through college working as a nursing assistant.  After a year in the classroom I was safely within the comfort zone. My life was slowly and predictably unraveling  through wet and drizzly suburbia. It was terrifying. I was going to die before I had lived!

So I jumped ship.  Continue reading “WHY I BECAME A DEATH MIDWIFE…” →