Living Eulogy - Your way

15/06/2026

Recent research has found that people with complex health conditions are fulfilling their preference to die at home rather than in a hospital provided they have access to specialist community palliative care.

The findings come as palliative care-related hospitalisations in Australia have risen by 29% in recent years (2015 to 2022), a rate three times higher than all other hospital admissions.

With demand for palliative care services expected to double by 2050, the research highlights a critical solution to easing the mounting pressure on overstretched emergency departments and hospital wards.

Read more: https://ow.ly/lGFj50ZbpsU

08/06/2026

In his letter, Scolyer said his greatest life lesson was that cancer did not define him.

"It may be the current road we are travelling, but it is not our entire journey. A terminal cancer diagnosis does, however, provide clarity as to what truly matters. It shines a spotlight on the importance of relationships, on true friendship and on selflessness.

Former Australian of the Year Richard Scolyer has died aged 59 after a remarkable fight against the "worst of the worst brain cancers".

His legacy: fast-tracking revolutionary cancer treatment by volunteering to be "patient zero" in a radical approach to treating his tumour.

One of the world's top melanoma pathologists, Professor Scolyer and his colleagues took everything they had learnt about fighting melanoma and adapted it to brain cancer treatment.

It resulted in valuable data that showed how immunotherapy could be used for brain cancer, which had seen few advances in treatment for almost two decades.

Handed a prognosis of six months to a year, Professor Scolyer kept his cancer at bay for 22 months using the trial treatment before the glioblastoma returned in March 2025.

In an open letter he wished to be published after his death, he described his life as one "filled with happiness, optimism, opportunity and passion".

Read more: https://ab.co/4dV8XqI

29/05/2026

Watching a group of women gather for a Feminine Magic Retreat centred around grief sparked a thought...

What if grief isn't only here to break us open, but to deepen our capacity for joy?

We often think of grief as something that follows the death of a loved one. But grief wears many faces.

✨ The end of a relationship.
✨ The life you thought you would have.
✨ A diagnosis that changes how you see yourself.
✨ The loss of an identity, a dream, a role, or a version of you that no longer fits.

Grief is not just about physical death. It can be emotional, psychological, spiritual, and deeply personal.

As a death doula, I've come to see that my work isn't only about supporting people through the end of life. It's also about holding space for all the small and large deaths that occur throughout a lifetime.

Perhaps grief is not something to move beyond, but something to move with. And perhaps, in allowing ourselves to fully feel it, we create more room for joy, gratitude, connection, and aliveness.

What forms of grief have shaped who you are today? 💛

28/05/2026

Does opening up conversations on our wishes if we become unwell, help us live more authentically and joyfully now ?

22/05/2026

Social prescribing .... to help.with grief

15/05/2026

Getting to the heart of it .... peope call that deep..
Is it ?

12/05/2026

Conversations that matter....

12/05/2026

Thought provoking .....

Perth, it is almost your time! Coming to Holmes à Court no. 10 Gallery from 13 June - 11 July, don't miss this moving exhibition.

More details👉https://ow.ly/Qmre50YS6Kg

For 18 months, award-winning portrait photographer Julian Kingma travelled Australia to do something no-one has attempted before - document the people who choose voluntary assisted dying (VAD), and the families and health professionals who help them on their final journey.

Julian's deeply personal images reveal the human face of Australia's compassionate VAD laws and invite us to ask, perhaps for the first time, what constitutes a good death?

03/05/2026

Living gratefully ....not always easy on challenging day, but maybe this article reminds us to live in the day we are living ... does mortality teach us how to live now ?

Broadcaster James Valentine was offered two different treatments for his cancer, so he chose the one that let him keep doing what he loved. Australian Story followed Valentine over his final 12 months as he faced the end with courage, purpose and humour.

16/02/2026

A doula is, at its heart, a person of service.

Many people have heard of birth doulas, who are non-medical companions who offer practical and emotional support during pregnancy, labour, birth, and postpartum. Doulas are not registered health professionals as they do not provide medical or clinical care or advice. They provide support alongside registered health professionals, such as midwives and other clinicians.

End of life doulas are similar in that way. An end of life doula is a non-medical role that offers holistic support in many forms, education, and resources as individuals and those close to them navigate ageing, living with a life-limiting, and end of life.

End of life doulas work collaboratively alongside care teams, helping people feel more informed, steadier, and better supported through many of life’s major transitions.