A Death Doula's Substack

A Death Doula's Substack

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A Death Doula's Substack
A Death Doula's Substack
How to Comfort the Dying

How to Comfort the Dying

Ten ways to make it count.

Catherine Durkin Robinson's avatar
Catherine Durkin Robinson
Oct 21, 2024
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A Death Doula's Substack
A Death Doula's Substack
How to Comfort the Dying
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When a loved one enters the “actively dying” phase, family and friends can feel lost. They often don’t know ways to comfort the dying. Or how to maneuver through this situation, simply because it’s a brand-new experience for them.

Our society doesn’t welcome thoughtful preparations around death and dying, and so we don’t know what to do when faced with this reality.

The Dying Process

For many people under my care, dying is peaceful. They don’t always recognize others and may lapse in and out of consciousness, but this isn’t cause for alarm or worry.

Some of my clients have phases where they wake periodically and talk. Their skin color changes because of slowing circulation, and their breathing patterns fluctuate as their bodies begin to slow down and ‘let go’ of life.

Others experience difficult deaths with terminal agitation, inadequate hospice care, challenging circumstances, and clinging behaviors.

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Each person’s death is unique and individual, just as their life has been.

No matter the …

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