END OF LIFE PLANNING, ADVOCACY & CARE

If it takes a village to raise a child, it certainly takes one at the other end of life to “die well”.

As an end-of-life doula, I can walk alongside a person, their family and friends to help with end-of-life planning, advocacy and care.

End-of-Life doulas are not medically trained. We complement the care provided by medical and allied health professionals, including doctors and palliative care specialists.

I am comfortable talking about death and dying and knowledgeable about processes such as Advanced Care Planning, Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) and how to support someone to die at home. I can provide continuity of care and fill in the gaps between different specialities and care providers during the dying process.

I can provide care and support to people and their families in their home (including aged care homes), hospital, hospice or remotely (via phone and video calls).

ABOUT ME

WHO

I am a social scientist with over 25 years’ experience working in policy research and evidence-based advocacy, with a focus on community engagement and empowerment.

I have worked in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region, learning from different cultures, customs and worldviews. This work gave me a strong interest in (re)building the capacity of families and communities to better support illness, ageing, death and dying in Western societies.

I live in Melbourne with my husband, daughter and two dogs. I am a keen horserider, Qi Gong practitioner and nature lover.

I am a palliative care volunteer with Banksia Palliative Care and together with my dog, Phil, I am a volunteer visitor in aged care facilities through Delta Therapy Dogs. I also collaborate with local End-of-Life doulas as part of the Melbourne Inner North End-of-Life Doula Hub to provide free community education and events to increase death literacy in our local community.

WHY

I have lived with chronic fatigue and pain since I was a teenager, spending long periods of time bed bound or house bound. I know what it is like to lose mobility and independence and struggle to access appropriate care.

I am a passionate advocate for compassionate care, choice and agency for those living with a chronic or life-limiting illness or approaching the end of life.

I am a member of the Community Advisory Panel for Emerge Australia, the peak body representing people living with Myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID, and their carers.

I had the privilege of supporting my Dad to die at home and access Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD). I saw the gaps in the health care system and the advocacy needed to enable choice and agency at the end of life.

I am a member of Voices for Palliative Care, a consumer-led collaborative of people with lived experience of serious illness or caregiving.

Andrea is dedicated to helping people live meaningful lives. She believes that everyone should feel heard, cared for, and at peace as they approach the end of life. Drawing on her personal experience and training as an End-of-Life doula, she can support people and their families to clarify what’s important to them, navigate the health and palliative care systems, and understand end of life care options - including dying at home and accessing Voluntary Assisted Dying, if desired.

EDUCATION

In addition to my formal education as a social scientist, my personal attributes and lived experience, I have also completed the following training courses with noted end-of-life practitioners:

End of Life Doula Training: Foundation Course (1 day/9 hours) – Helen Callanan, Preparing the Way
Death Doula training (10 weeks/40 hrs) and Advanced Death Doula training (10 weeks/40 hrs) – Denis Love, Life Options
Deathwalker training (3 days/20 hours) – Zenith Virago

In my work as a death doula, I am committed to life-long learning and ethical practice. I am a member of Holistic End of Life and Death Care Australia (HELD) and adhere to their Code of Conduct.

Compassionate

Ethical
Respectful
Open-minded and non-judgemental
Inclusive (religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, neurodiversity)
Comfortable talking about, and being around, death and dying

I AM…

RESOURCES

Coming soon…