CARING FOR THE DYING describes a whole new way to approach death and dying. It explores how the dying and their families can bring deep meaning and great comfort to the care given at the end of a life. Created by Henry Fersko-Weiss, the end-of-life doula model is adapted from the work of birth doulas and helps the dying to find meaning in their life, express that meaning in powerful and beautiful legacies, and plan for the final days. The approach calls for around-the-clock vigil care, so the dying person and their family have the emotional and spiritual support they need along with guidance on signs and symptoms of dying. It also covers the work of reprocessing a death with the family afterward and the early work of grieving.

Emphasis is placed on the space around the dying person and encourages the use of touch, guided imagery, and ritual during the dying process. Throughout the book Fersko-Weiss tells amazing and encouraging stories of the people he has cared for, as well as stories that come from doulas he has trained and worked with over the years.

What is unique about this book is the well-conceived and thorough approach it describes to working skillfully with the dying. The guidance provided can help a dying person, their family, and caregivers to transform the dying experience from one of fear and despair into one that is uplifting and even life affirming. You will see death in a new light and gain a different perspective on how to help the dying. It may even change the way you live your life right now.

The approach is fresh, the tone is warm, and the death–doula movement is happening. We all die. Doulas usher some of us into this life; it is a natural extension of the doula movement that they begin to usher us out.

Henry Fersko-Weiss, LCSW, is executive director of the International End-of-Life Doula Association. In 2003, Henry created the very first End-of-Life Doula Program in the US at a hospice in New York City and has built many other programs based on his model. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. He is on the faculty of the Open Center’s Art of Dying Institute.

“Caring for the Dying will not only become a standard for those wishing to train in the way of the doula. It will be a book that answers questions for those who have been in the presence of death and a sourcebook and support for those who wish to bring such a compassionate and caring role into one of life’s most challenging and sacred moments.” — Robert Sachs, LISW, author of Rebirth Into Pure Land and Perfect Endings, and Board Member of Hospice of San Luis Obispo

"This is a pitch perfect, accessible book on an otherwise inaccessible subject. Just what the world needs right now.” – BJ Miller, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF and attending specialist for the Symptom Management Service of the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center