ABOUT
We all have what it takes to companion
the living, the dying, and the grieving among us
— we might just need to be reminded how.
ABOUT ENDWELL
A Heart Centre for Community Death Care
Endwell has blossomed, inspired by the desire to offer increased support for the liberation of our natural gifts of connection, empathy, compassion, and love. These are gifts that we all have, and gifts that are so needed in this world. Endwell will continue to offer End of Life Doula support for the dying and their people. In addition, Endwell offers training for End of Life Doulas, companions of the dying, and anyone else who feels called to deepen their literacy and competency around living well and dying well.
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This shift acknowledges that the current model of relying on the outsourcing of care to be well in life and in death is flawed and unsustainable. We are being asked to remember simpler ways, communal ways of being, and be less reliant on medical or service orientated models of care. The care and dedication of the hard working folks in health and care services is undeniable.
It is also apparent that these services are stretched thin and are not prepared for the increase in support required. Unrealistic expectations are often placed on the providers of care in these systems which often prevents these well-intended people from providing the quality of care that they wish to offer.
Endwell's focus is on how to reconnect with our natural wisdom to guide us forward in creating the kind of communities that we need and that we are yearning for.
Compassion is a naturally occurring resource that is waiting to be accessed. We can find this medicine in ourselves, our neighbours, friends, colleagues, in every community member who feels called to serve. All we need is a little support to reconnect. For this we are being asked to slow down, tune in, and tend to ourselves so that we can do the same for others.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
― Margaret Mead
THE HEART
Endwell is curious about the archetype of the Wayfinder:
An intuitive person who has the courage to navigate through the chaos and confusion of darkness and division, who refuses to accept the dysfunction of the status quo, and who devotes their life to exploring a more joyful, harmonious, cooperative, creative, and sustainable existence on Earth.
We all have the ability to offer the medicine. There will be trainings to facilitate learning and unlearning in three areas: end of life education for community members, mentorship for End of Life Doulas, and support for people companioning their person on the end-of-life journey. The focus at Endwell will remain on increasing literacy and competency around death, dying, and grief. These community building offerings have been created for those who feel called to increase their intimacy with death and grief as a way to increase well being and support others when service calls.
THE VISION
Imagine a world where more people are guided to be grounded, to listen deeply, to truly see others, hear others, and feel with others. This is the ground where empathy blooms from, and compassionate action takes flight. This is love making stuff which leads to living well and dying well when the time comes. We are dedicated to folks who feel uprooted, so that they can feel rooted again in community.
We invite you to join us in the writing of this new story. You can support a world where more and more people are inspired to create connections to self in order to create connection for those who are feeling lonely and isolated. Endwell’s workshops, courses, and book studies will be offered to all community members, regardless of what hats they wear in their personal and professional lives. We all have what it takes to companion the living, the dying, and the grieving among us, we might just need to be reminded.
TRACY'S STORY
When I was in grade 5, my best friend’s brother died of leukemia. Death came so close, and yet my world remained untouched. I went to school the next day and continued with my activities without missing a beat. My home life with parents and two brothers was strangely unchanged. There was no talk of death or the fallout of grief, he just vanished. This distancing — this lack of knowing even though I knew — left me to imagine what had happened. I held my grief in secret, my door closed, in my room with red and white heart-pattered wallpaper. This combination of fear rooted in vulnerability and unwitnessed grief created a storm of confusion in 10 year old me — a storm that lasted over a decade.
On the day of my first shift as a volunteer at the local hospital, I found out that I was assigned to work in the palliative care ward. I was terrified. My job was to push a rattling cart down the hospital hallways and enter patient rooms to throw out old bouquets and refresh the water in the flower vases. I was terrified and then I was surprised.
Those death rooms, spaces that I had imagined being full of horrible things — unbearable sights, sounds, and smells — were, in reality, almost completely filled with tender moments; expressions of love, forgiveness, gratitude, sacred silence, hands nestled in hands, and hearts cracked open. There was a softening and a falling away of the stuff that doesn’t matter, revealing what really does matter, which was almost always relationships. I noticed how the limitation of time seemed to help people recognize what is asking to be brought into the world. Priorities presented themselves allowing what mattered most to arise to the surface: Love. Surpassingly, these rooms were almost always full of different expressions of giving and receiving love.
From that moment, I became dedicated to helping others understand the nature of gentle dying, and the beauty and healing that so often exists alongside the pain at end of life. Offering a more balanced narrative, one that is more rooted in love than fear is the loving force behind all that I do.
Tracy Chalmers, Founder of Endwell, is an End of life Doula, founding member of the End of Life Doula Association of Canada, End of Life Educator at Douglas College, Grief Educator and Tender at The Grief Well, a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Hospice Volunteer, and the Author of The Nature of the Journey. She lives on British Columbia's Coast Salish land known as the North Shore.
END OF LIFE DOULA SERVICES
Supporting Individuals & Families Through End of Life Care
Services
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Holistic end of life planning; Advance Care Planning, Representation Agreements, and other key documents.
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Facilitating end of life discussions and encouraging people to reflect and capture ideas about beliefs, values, and wishes.
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Providing referrals and therapy awareness through our networked community.
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Offering emotional, practical, and spiritual support to those living with a life limiting illness and their companions before, during and after death.
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Advocating for the dying to help make their end-of-life wishes a reality.
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Assisting in strengthening and completing relationships with family and friends.
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Assisting the dying and their people with legacy projects.
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Sitting bedside to vigil.
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Offering respite to companions; friends and family of the dying.
Rates
​Hourly Consulting Rate - $140 + GST
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Preparing for the Journey Package (includes Advance Care Planning + end of life discussions) 4 hours - $500 + GST
Preparing for the Journey Enhanced Package (basic planning + referrals + therapy awareness) 6 hours - $750 + GST
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Starting the Journey (includes personalized support for the dying and their people) 4 hours - $500 + GST
​End of Life Journey Package (enhanced planning + ongoing support through in-person, phone or video calls + legacy projects + vigil support + respite support + grief companioning) 25 hours - $3,150 + GST
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*Tracy offers both in person and virtual support.