I recently read this article, which appeared in my Inbox. I was pleasantly surprised by all the information it contained about green burial. This issue has not been part of my decade-long work in death and dying. However, I have known others who are studying and promoting a conscientious end after dying, and it is important work.
“Return To Nature” explains a lot. It is a very interesting read and yes! Magazine is hip to what’s going on: their tagline is Journalism for People Building a Better World.
Natural Burial
One sentence in particular got my attention: “Whether next to a regular cemetery or on conserved land, there are now around 218 natural burial grounds in the U.S. , up from around 100 just five years ago.” This statement is amazing to me. That is more than DOUBLE the number of natural burial grounds in only five years!
Not only are people becoming more interested in natural burial, it is my observation that people in general are becoming more open about and interested in discussing death and dying. I meet people now, who are becoming trained as death doulas; a calling rarely heard of prior to the last 3 or 4 years. I’m continually in awe of the growing awareness, interest, questioning and validation of discussion and decision-making around end of life planning and care. Finally! Thank goodness.
Perceptions have begun to change.
And I think they will continue to change as the large cohort of baby boomers reaches a point in life where these issues arise for them personally, and more frequently. It is gratifying to see a growing and more transgenerational movement addressing the important need for more openly discussing death and dying, improving end-of-life care and supporting meaningful choices at the end of life.
End of Life Choices California is pleased to be participating in a number of conferences coming up in the state over the next 6 months that reflect this growing trend: the City of Hope End of Life Symposium in Duarte on September 27, ReImagine End of Life San Francisco from October 24-November 3, and the Beautiful Dying Expo in San Diego on November 2. And a variety of public and professional educational events ranging from from health fairs and small workshops, to hospice in-services are requesting our participation and discussion of end-of-life options in California. We are also looking forward to participating in and presenting at the very first National Clinicians Conference on Medical Aid in Dying in Berkeley, February 14-15, 2020. I hope to see you at one or more of these groundbreaking gatherings.
In the meantime, every day, EOLCCA gathers new information about compassionate physicians, hospices and other HCPs who are working with terminally ill individuals seeking medical aid in dying under California’s End of Life Option Act. If you have had a supportive experience, please share it with us, so that we will have more information to help the next person who calls us. If you are a physician wishing to learn from a fellow physician’s experience with the EOLOA in California, we can put you in touch with physicians who would be very pleased to share their insights and offer guidance.
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End of Life Choices California offers information and non-judgemental personal support to anyone seeking help managing end-of-life care planning or decision-making in California. We have a resource-rich website www.endoflifechoicesca.org to answer a variety of questions. However, if you prefer to speak with one of our trained client advocate volunteers, please give us a call at 760-636-8009. All our services are free of charge.
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