Cark It Cafe & Cabaret

Death doula's are not medical professionals. It's important we stay in our lane and let those highly qualifed medical professionals do their jobs caring for our clients. So what IS our lane? Supporting people at the end of their lives to process information and emotions to make choices that are best for them. Often the people we are working with are receiving palliatve care. So it makes sense that having a good understanding of palliative care services means we can do a better job supporting our clients.

Which leads me to my point - Palliative Care Australia are running a series of webinars on the National Palliative Care Standards. I think this is a great opportunity for both medical professionals and for death doulas like me to get better at our resepctive jobs! You can join in on the day that they're run by registering at ttps://ow.ly/xbKc50YyXi6) OR watch a video of the webinars that have alrady taken place at https://palliativecare.org.au/events/

WHOOPS! YESTERDAY was International Trans Day of Visibility....sorry for being a day late for all of you in the southern hemisphere - I blame international time lines and Dutch coffee.

Of course every day we can celebrate trans and gender diverse people. Visit https://www.tdov.org.au/ for some great information and to sign a pledge about how you want to show your support for trans & gender diverse people every where.

To our wonderful trans and gender diverse community; we see you and we celebrate you ❤ 🏳️‍⚧️

International Trans Day of Visibility is celebrated on the 31st of March every year. It is a day to celebrate trans and gender diverse people around the world, our stories, our advocacy and our achievements. Thank you to Rachel Crandall who created Trans Day of Visibility in 2009, and to so many trans advocates who continuously work to advance trans and gender diverse rights.

Trans Day of Visibility is also a day of solidarity; inviting allies and cis advocates to stand boldly alongside us. There are many ways to get involved and to stand up for trans rights this TDOV and beyond.

Here are a few small ways to start from the TransHub team:

1. Be a good friend, lover, employer, teammate and neighbour to trans and gender diverse people. Trans people live everywhere and there is a good chance you already know quite a few. Use TransHub pages to get you started, and keep learning!
2. Don’t wait for trans and gender diverse people to show up before you make us feel welcome. Start building safety now and create a welcoming environment that shows trans people are safe with you.
3. Protect access to gender affirming healthcare by remaining aware of trans rights in your local area - keep up to date with trans healthcare by following AusPATH or trans advocacy organisations like Trans Justice AU or Equality Australia.
4. Practice using the correct pronoun and name for trans people; but remember, it's more than lip service. It’s about trans people having a right to dignity, safety and respect.

Visit tdov.org.au for more info about Trans Day of Visibility & remember that allyship is a continuous process, not just a single day!

This looks like a good time...

Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre

Tea Dance - Saturday 18 April from 4pm to 7pm.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWYQOX8DX3s/?igsh=MTQ1azl1ZXg2dWt0aQ==

I went on a family factory tour at Loop in Delft the Netherlands

The more we are empowered to know our choices are at end of life then we can voice them and have endings that we prefer. This is why having those discussions are so important.
You don’t need to do training to be a witness for someone who wants VAD but if they/you need a witness or 2 you can contact Dying with Dignity NSW they have a register of people.

'Much loved' mayor dies by voluntary assisted dying after cancer battle The prime minister has paid tribute to the former Labor member and regional mayor, hailing her as a trailblazer.

Janis Chen's article for the Guardian is a thought provoking and beautiful exploration of living with a terminal illness.

"Living with stage four lung cancer has taught me that strength is not a metric of productivity or a narrative of “recovery”. It is found instead in staying present within a life that no longer fits the frantic success stories we are sold."

I have stage four cancer – there will be no cure, but death isn’t necessarily imminent: this is how it feels to live in the long middle When you are cured, the world cheers; when you are dying, it mourns. But when you are simply maintaining, the world is at a loss

It's National Adance Care Planning Week! Let's all make a plan! (You may have noticed I love a plan...) Advance care planning means making a plan for what your want for your health care in case you can't communicate what you want for yourself. It's not just for older people - accidents and illnesses can happen at any stage of life.

The theme this year is Your Story Your Choice. We're all different, and we all have a right to have our health care wishes respected.

Care Planning Australia have really good resources for each state in Australia including templates. So make your plan and RECORD it somewhere people know where to find it! (Because you won't be able to tell them where you put it Genius...) Then make yourself a nice cup of tea and feel smug.

What do you think is the most important thing you can do to prepare for the end of life?

A death scholar on why we need to stop being naive about dying: ‘I always hear, “Can’t you just put me into a nice meadow?”’ Dr Hannah Gould on eco-funerals, being ‘the death person’ and the one thing everyone should know before they die