July 2021

Page A15 JULY 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A SHROUDS Green Burial Cremation www.kinkaraco.com (415) 874-9698 100% American Made VS NFDA Launches Two New “Remembering A Life” Podcast Episodes BROOKFIELD,WI—The Nation- al Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), through its Remembering A Life consumer education initiative, launched two Remembering A Life podcast episodes for May: Anxiety – The Missing Stage of Grief: A Conver- sation and Death Doulas – Supporting Families During a Loved One’s Final Days. After losing both of her parents at a young age, grief expert Claire Bidwell Smith was drawn to helping others navigate their grief. A therapist in private practice for more than a de- cade, she has counseled thousands of people and written three books. In this episode, Bidwell Smith reflects on the role anxiety has played in her grief journey and how we can identify and manage our own anxiety after a loss. Bidwell Smith is the author of Anx- iety – The Missing Stage of Grief, the Remembering A Life Book Club non- fiction book of the month for May. In this engaging read, Bidwell Smith in- vites the reader into her world, which was forever changed following the deaths of both parents while Bidwell Smith was a young adult. She shares her own powerful experiences with anxiety, from experiencing her first popular virtual series for the Let’s Rei- magine Death organization, in which she interviews notable figures in the death and grief space. Bidwell Smith’s three books of non- fiction: The Rules of Inheritance (Pen- guin, 2012), After This: When Life Is Over Where Do We Go? (Penguin, 2015), and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief (Da Capo, 2018) have been published in 18 countries, and received many accolades and criti- cal praise. The Rules of Inheritance is currently optioned for television rights. Bidwell Smith has written for The New York Times, Scientific American, The Washington Post, Goop, The Huff- ington Post, Salon.com, Slate, Chicago Public Radio, The Guardian, Psycholo- gy Today, Yoga Journal, and BlackBook Magazine. Her thoughts, insights and interviews have been featured on MSNBC, Good Day LA, Today.com, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, Forbes, Conde Nast Traveler, The San Francis- co Chronicle, TheMinneapolis Star Tri- bune, Oprah Magazine, Self Magazine, Shape Magazine, and dozens of radio shows and podcasts. Marggie Hatala BSN, RN, CEOLD, anxiety-related panic attack to identifying the strate- gies that helped her man- age her anxiety and arrive in a place of mindfulness and peace. The full review can be read at Remember- ingALife.com/bookclub. Podcast listeners can learn how to win a free copy of the book when they listen to the podcast episode. When we hear the term “doula,” we probably most often think of a birth doula – someone who helps bring new life into the world. However, increasingly, doulas are also helping peo- ple through their final days. Remembering A Life pod- cast guest Marggie Hatala is one of approximately 400 certified end-of-life doulas in the United States. Hat- ala has been an end-of-life doula for six years, provid- ing families with in-home end-of-life support prior to and throughout the dying experience. In this episode, Hatala explains the role of a death doula in guid- ing family members and friends through what can be an emotional and dif- ficult, but often beautiful, experience. Remembering A Life pod- cast episodes are available at RememberingALife.com/ Podcast, anywhere podcasts are available to be listened to and on the Remember- ing A Life YouTube chan- nel. Bidwell Smith is passion- ate about advocating for advancement in end-of- life care and also bringing awareness to our culture’s understanding of grief. She serves on the board of End Well Project, an end-of-life initiative that holds a yearly conference, and also Near, an organization devoted to helping people find end of life and grief support. Bidwell Smith also hosts a a Certified Elder Care and End of Life Doula, combines these services in combination with her experience as an RN to offer holistic, non-medical support as a Life Doula. In this way, Hatala walks with her clients through the challenges of chronic illness, ag- ing and decline and through their fi- nal days. Her deep spiritual presence, extensive knowledge and experience, and peaceful assurance allows them to feel the depth of her support. Ad- ditionally, Hatala seamlessly includes this support with her role as a Nurse Advocate with Ikor Life Care Man- agement for clients that benefit from the inclusion of medical advocacy. Remembering A Life provides ed- ucational tools to help families un- derstand the value of a funeral, plan a meaningful service and begin the grief journey following the death of a loved one. Resources include Re- memberingALife.com, www.Remem- beringALife.com/podcast, www.Re- memberingALife.com/bookclub, a blog, conversation cards and thought- ful gifts for grieving family members and friends. Remembering A Life is a consumer education initiative of the NFDA. Follow Remembering A Life on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter . S E N D U S Y O U R N E W S ! PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 info@nomispublications.com