End-of-Life Planning
There are many practical concerns at the end of a person's life, including estate planning and wills, advance care directives, emotional wills, legacy planning, and funeral or memorial services. Journease advocates for the dying person's capacity, control, and choice so that they can have an end to their life that is meaningful and consistent with their belief system and values.
Journease helps navigate these waters so that everything is in place and the traveller can focus on what matters.
End-of-Life Care
Journease can assist with making one's death as intimate and peaceful as possible for everyone involved. This can include practical aspects such as rostering and meals, spiritual or meaning-filled aspects such as ceremony and vigils, or phone or in-person support. We are here to provide emotional and practical support in any needed way.
Our doula services are non-medical, but we can work with medical professionals to support the dying person, whether at home, at a hospital, or in hospice. We can be the single point of contact to coordinate all services and care, greatly simplifying and de-stressing the process. We also can provide information and resources to connect with appropriate services in the community.
After-Death Care
Once the traveller has passed, Journease can facilitate just about any request (as long as it is safe, legal, and do-able), from mortuary care and traditional funerals at a church or other location to special and personalised memorials to complete at-home body care, shrouding, home viewings, and home funerals. We also stay in touch to ensure the provision of any after-death support required.
We are always just a phone call away. If more help is needed, we can arrange for grief counselling or other support.
VAD and VSED/VRFF
We believe in everyone's right to control, capacity and choice at the end of their lives, no matter the circumstance, and that the person experiencing the suffering is the only one whose decision it is what to do about it. However, choosing Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) or Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking (VSED) [also called Voluntary Refusal of Food and Fluid (VRFF)] requires a dedicated team and a great deal of planning to minimise the trauma and stress of families and to create a beautiful and peaceful end.
Journease can:
- Assist with education, information, and resources
- Coordinate the care plan and organise carers (for VSED/VRFF)
- Provide non-medical companionship and support
- Create an atmosphere of peace and calm, incorporating the dying person's beliefs and wishes
- Help plan for after-death care and funeral arrangements, including home funerals and death certificates
- Arranging mortuary care and conducting the funeral.
List of Available Services
- Advance Care Planning for future healthcare decisions
- Companionship in the home or at the bedside
- Organising and coordinating support from family and friends
- Household services such as meal preparation, child or pet care, transportation, attendance at appointments
- Life review and legacy work
- VAD and VSED support
- Spiritual support for all religions and spiritual beliefs
- Respite for caregivers who need a break
- Holding vigil before or after death
- Supporting family-led after-death body care and shrouding
- Helping design and conduct a ritual, ceremony, funeral, or memorial, including home funerals
- Filing for the death certificate with the Register of Births, Deaths, and Marriages
- Providing information about funeral and burial choices, for example, home funerals and natural burials
- Being on call for as-needed support
- Support during bereavement