Death | Discussing the ‘Elephant in the Living Room’ Beth O’Brien with Grace Gawler

There’s an elephant in the living room & no one mentions it; it is called death, the subject for today’s show. I work in a pro-life vocation with people with life challenging illness, but what happens when life is not prolonged & death is inevitable? How & where do you find the tools to help you navigate your way through the process? Learn more with Beth O’Brien on Voice America Navigating the Cancer Maze with Grace Gawler.

There’s an elephant in the living room & no one mentions it; it is called death, the subject for today’s show. I work in a pro-life vocation with people with life challenging illness, but what happens when life is not prolonged & death is inevitable? How & where do Death the elephantinthelivingroom2you find the tools to help you navigate your way through the process?

There are not only physical deaths that are relevant to today’s topic. There many “deaths”  throughout life – the losses that occur as a a part of being human; loss of youth, loss of job, loss of identity, to name a few.  But there are also overwhelming “deaths” throughout life – life’s big uninvited events that are felt so deeply that the grief seems endless and indeed may endure for life. These events are a apart of being human and shape the way we be on this planet.  The person grieving a physical death will often get more support than the person grieving a divorce experiencing hidden pain  or loss of a body part hidden from view by clothing. But grief, loss bereavement exists and it exists in many forms. Many patients have said to me that when their partner left them it felt worse than a death – that death was final – but it was challenging to accept the finality of an event when there was no physical death and the knowledge that every family event in future will have a “emotional stamp” on it!

Listen to my interview with Beth O’Brien:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/79672/death-discussing-the-elephant-in-the-living-room-beth-obrien-with-grace-gawler

Beth O'Brien
Beth O’Brien

So – the subject is huge and relevant! Following on from last week’s show, today I interview a lady who works with death every day; funeral celebrant, Beth O’Brien. Beth is a Certified Thanatologist; Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement”, an international accreditation with the Association for Death Education and Counseling. She is also a qualified Facilitator of Death Café, an international movement designed to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. Today’s discussion will be a valuable resource, bringing death to the discussion table.

After 20 years studying, researching and working with people who were experiencing loss and grief, Beth O’Brien discovered a strong connection to work with people who were experiencing grief and loss.

Recently she became a Certified Thanatologist, Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement”; an international accreditation with The Association for Death Education and Counseling. In her work as a marriage and funeral celebrant she feels privileged to work with people on the most important and memorable days of their lives. Beth became so enthralled by the stories and eulogies she heard, she decided to become a personal historian and is a member of The Association of Personal Historians. Beth is a Death Café Facilitator, a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®, Grief Educator & an Internationally Certified Funeral Celebrant/Trainer.

Resources to deepen your understanding of this important subject:

Beth O’Brien: 

http://seasonsofgrief.com.au/about-beth/

www.australiancelebrations.com.au

http://deathcafe.com/

Hopewell Hospice – Gold Coast    http://hopewell.org.au/

Recommended by Beth O’Brien: Doug Manning has been one of the most prominent speakers and authors in the grief counseling field since he started work in this area in 1982.

http://www.thecarecommunity.com/GriefSafePlace/tabid/59/Default.aspx

Other resources:

Caitlin Doughty

http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/members/your-mortician

http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/

Caleb Wilde – Confessions of a funeral director blog

http://www.calebwilde.com/

http://www.naturaldeathcentre.org.au/

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/79672/death-discussing-the-elephant-in-the-living-room-beth-obrien-with-grace-gawler

Grace Gawler Navigating the Cancer Maze | The most important issue we can address – death; the great adventure

On Navigating the Cancer Maze – today – a discussion about death with Rev Dr. Ian Mavor and Dee Hanna from Hopewell hospice and Paradise Kids located on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Listen to or download interview at Voice America Navigating the Cancer Maze.

On Navigating the Cancer Maze – today – a discussion about death with Rev Dr.  Ian Mavor and Dee Hanna from Hopewell hospice and Paradise Kids located on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Listen to or download interview at Voice America Navigating the Cancer Maze

DEATH ADVENTURES: It would to nice to think that all cancer patients could find healing and recovery. I would like to share a recent experience that was a case of breathing life into death!  Prior to my recent visit to Germany, I had the pleasure of being invited one Saturday afternoon to a Death Cafe! I invited a guest and her family to attend with me. They were about to embark upon her journey into death. I will call Death Cafe navigating the cancer mazethis patient Lois. Lois had a highly aggressive brain tumor stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme – she was also a survivor of breast cancer 10 years prior. Following surgery and a recurrence soon after; Lois had successful treatment in Germany. However – she was not the same person that she and others knew, and this was tremendous source of distress to her. Like many patients with a brain tumor, Lois suffered from depersonalization (a state in which one’s thoughts and feelings seem unreal or not to belong to oneself). Medications and therapy did not assist. An intense episode of Shingles that lasted for 6 months followed by seizures and blindness in one eye and then a recurrence of the tumor, finally ‘tipped the scales’……Lois decided enough was enough!  She decided that she wanted to end the suffering and refused further treatment. Lois and her family gained a tremendous amount of information by attending a Death Cafe. Soon she was a patient at Hopewell Hospice and a few weeks later – she died peacefully at the Hospice surrounded by love with friends and family in a conducive atmosphere of candlelight and peace – one of the most well prepared death experiences that I have been privy to. There was openness and disclosure. Nothing was left unsaid nor undone as Lois took her final breath.

The mere mention of a Death Cafe is a definite conversation stopper! This is especially so when friends ask “What are you doing this weekend” and you reply you attending a Death Cafe function! Immediately people imagine a group of people resembling Abby from NCIS!  However – everyone who attended the Death Cafe dressed quite normally and there was not a ‘Goth fashion’ in sight! The format was a discussion by grief counselor Beth O’Brien and funeral director Neil Davis. They spoke openly about all the things death cafeyou likely thought that you would never want to know about death and yet; these are things that one should know. And  – with the room to capacity – it was amazing how the conversation became lively, questioning and engaging. People really wanted to ask more and more questions ….questions that are indeed relevant to us all.

Death is often ‘the elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss’. However it was good to see the topic on the table for discussion on ABC TV ( Australia) last night – so perhaps the Death Cafe is in deed making an impact in bringing death out of the closet.

What is The Death Cafe? It is a global movement where people come together in a relaxed and safe setting to discuss death. It’s not all doom and gloom. The organizers say that sometimes people need to understand death so they can live life to the full.

Have you ever been curious about the end of life experience? At Death Cafe a funeral director and celebrant will be at hand to help bury the taboos. Visit the website: http://www.distinguishabledays.com/2013/10/brisbanes-first-death-cafe/

Interview on Voice America’s Navigating the Cancer Maze:

Who is Rev. Dr Ian Mavor OAM, FACE  – Ian is a former Uniting Church Minister. Much of Ian’s professional life has been in Ian mavor on Navigating the Cancer Mazespecialist roles. Co-Founder and Executive Director Ian serves as Executive Director of Hopewell Hospice Services Inc which includes Hopewell Hospice, Paradise Kids, the Living Well Center and the Hopewell College of Transformative Education. He is a member of the Health Community Council-Gold Coast Health District and a member of the State Council of Palliative Care Queensland. In 2002, Ian was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) “For service to the community through a range of church, social welfare, education and health groups”.

http://www.hopewell.org

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/79547/special-encore-presentation-navigating-the-cancer-maze-the-most-important-issue-we-can-address-death

Grace Gawler with Dee Hanna  Hopewell Hospice on navigating the cancer maze

Who is Deirdre Hanna
Dee is the Founder of Hopewell Hospice Services Inc. in 1993, which includes Hopewell Hospice, Paradise Kids Children’s Services, Hopewell Education Services and The Living Well Center.

http://hopewell.org.au/other-services

Recommended viewing: Last night’s segment on ABC TV 7.30 report:  Charter for people who are nearing end of life. View the video at the link below:

 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-01/push-to-put-end-of-life-plans-on-agenda/5642866?section=qld

DEATH CAFE: For exact location details and bookings for the Brisbane Death Cafe email:    director@australiancelebrations.com.au

We hope you have found this blog helpful to your life and purpose. Navigating the Cancer Maze is sponsored by the Grace Gawler Institute-  a not for profit registered health promotion charity located in Queensland Australia with a Global outreach  focusing on cancer and life education. www.gracegawlerinstitute.com