Donnette Wheelock

Talking About
“If I take death into my Death
life, acknowledge it, and
face it squarely, I will free
Won’t Kill You
myself from the anxiety
of death . . . and only
then will I be free to
become myself”
Martin Heidegger, German Philosopher
What is the
Death Positive
Movement?

Acceptance:

from taboo
itlin
Ca hty
u g
natural part of life Do
Art by Erin Hancox
 •Books
•Movies
It’s Hip to
•Podcasts
Talk
•TED Talks
about Death •Magazine Articles
•Death Cafes
Why Talk About Death?
• Decrease fear

• Learn about options

• Align choices with personal values

• Ensure preferences are known

• Reduce burden on loved ones

• Save money
 Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis

Advance Planning Preferences for Care

After Death Support for the Journey

 Legal
Will
Advance Financial POA
Planning
Practical, Financial
Legal and “Kick the Bucket” List
Basics
Possessions
The Gentle Art of Swedish
Death Cleaning
 Health Care Directive/
Advance Directive
Advance
• Name Agent/Proxy
Planning
• General Care Preferences
Medical Care • Organ/Tissue/Body Donation
• Disposition of Body
 Donation Options

Donate organs/tissue
per Donate Life America
1 tissue donor can help more than 75 people
22 people die each day waiting for an organ

Donate body
Medical science/research
 Right to Refuse Care

Advance
Planning • DNR Order

Medical Care
• POLST – Provider Orders for
Continued Life-Sustaining Treatment
“Conveyor Belt” of
medical care
 Palliative Care Hospice
Chronic, Serious or Terminal illness– 6
life-limiting illness months life expectancy
Curative or comfort Comfort care only
care Does NOT use
Uses life-prolonging life-prolonging
medications Both medications
Usually provided in Aggressive pain & symptom Usually provided at
hospital management “home”
Can be delivered Team Approach Hospice Physician
alongside primary care Focus on quality of life Relies on family
or specialties caregiver
Emotional, Physical, Spiritual
Support
• Equipment/
supplies/medications
• CNAs
• Music, massage &
pet therapy
• Veteran recognition
• Respite care
• Volunteers
• Bereavement support
 Care of the Deceased

Disposition of the Body

Advance
Planning Obituary
for
People to Contact
After Death
Funeral / Visitation
Photo courtesy of Olivia Bareham, Sacred Crossings
 Typical Options
Burial Cremation
 Art Diamonds Biodegradable
Space Urn
Pencils
Bullets
Paint
Eternal Reef Tattoo
Fireworks Ink And Vinyly
 4.3 million gallons embalming fluid (827,000 gallons
carcinogenic formaldehyde & benzene) per year

1.6 million tons concrete per year

Environmenta 30 million board feet of hardwood per year

l Impact of 64,500 tons steel and 17,000 tons copper/bronze per year
Traditional
Practices 1 conventional burial releases 230 lbs CO2

1 cremation releases 40 lbs CO2, also mercury, carbon

monoxide & sulphur dioxide and uses 30 gallons of fuel. *

Cemetery maintenance: land/water use, pesticides,

mowing, labor, land lost to any other use

Source: Funeral Consumers Alliance of MN *Joshua Trey Barnett, expert on ecological communication at UMD
 Alkaline Hydrolysis
Aquamation / Flameless
Cremation / Water Cremation /
Resomation

Windom
Lacanne Family Funeral Service
Stillwater
Bradshaw Funeral & Cremation
 Green/Natural Burial

Practiced by most cultures until 19th century

Body decomposes naturally

No embalming

Everything biodegradable (shrouds, coffins, baskets)

About 150 natural burial grounds in 40 U.S. states

Source: Funeral Consumers Alliance of MN
 Natural Burial Grounds
No vaults, liners, embalming or non-biodegradable
coffins
Natural appearance, native plants
Usually no headstones

Types of Green Hybrid

Burial Grounds Conventional cemetery with green option
Embalming not required
Allows any eco-friendly burial container, including
shroud

Conservation Burial Grounds

Meets all requirements for Natural Burial Grounds
AND
Must protect, in perpetuity, land specifically and
exclusively designated for conservation
Did You Know?
Infinity Burial Suit
Mushroom suit or shroud

Recompose
Compost bodies to create
mulch
 End of Life Doula
Preparing/Summing Up
Education
Advance planning
Legacy projects

Vigil
Non-medical care
Assist dying & family
Signs of dying / unexplainable
Presence

Honor After Death

Individual Care of body
Choices Home funerals
Processing - reframing
 Best
Three
Months
 “Enjoy life.
This is not
a dress
rehearsal.”
Friedrich
Nietzsche

Charles Schultz
 Donnette Wheelock
Certified End of Life Doula
INELDA – International End of Life
Doula Association
Conscious Dying Institute

Hospice volunteer since 2001

Trained in death, dying, dementia, grief

Mayo Health Systems Hospice
Minnesota State University-Mankato

Experienced caregiver for the terminally

ill, dying and individuals with dementia

Member: MN Death Collaborative

MN Network of Hospice & Palliative Care