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Bringing Dying Back Into the Community with Hannah Fowler
Description
What could end-of-life care look like if caring for people who are dying became more of a community responsibility?
In this episode, Jill talks with nurse Hannah Fowler about small, community-based homes for people at the end of life and the role these spaces can play for people who may not have family, caregivers, or a safe place to die.
Hannah shares how her work in nursing and hospice eventually brought her to the Center for Conscious Living & Dying in Asheville, now called Emberlight. She and Jill talk about the value of keeping these homes small and rooted in their communities, as well as Jill’s involvement in creating a similar three-bed home in Philadelphia.
They also get into some of the harder questions surrounding this work. How do death doulas charge for care when so much of what they provide is presence, time, reassurance, and education?
Why are some hospice organizations hesitant to work alongside doulas, while others are finding ways to collaborate?
Hannah shares some of what she learned from being part of a community caring for people who were dying, including how the model supported not only residents, but volunteers, caregivers, and hospice professionals.
The conversation also explores the personal side of doing this work—trauma, triggers, boundaries, shadow work, and the ways being close to death can bring us face-to-face with parts of ourselves we may otherwise avoid.
Hannah now brings these experiences into her work through the School of the Red Skywalker, where she offers community circles, mentorship, education, and leadership support focused on creating healthier ways of caring for ourselves and one another.
00:00 Letting Go of Perfection
01:26 Meet Hannah Faller
02:47 Starting a Community Home
04:33 Charging for Presence
08:28 Emberlight Model
10:13 Hospice and Doula Bridge
11:59 Volunteer Firekeeping Care
16:25 Overnight Staffing Reality
18:57 Building Volunteer Community
20:09 Finding Connection and Belonging
22:13 Separation and Meaning
23:58 Shadow Work at Bedside
25:08 Death as Catalyst
27:39 Triggers and Limits
29:29 Loving Activation
31:11 Bridging Spirit and Shadow
33:29 Choosing Hard Experiences
37:06 Adaptations and Integration
38:34 Witnessing Without Judgment
39:35 Numbing and Forgiveness
41:49 Red Skywalker Offerings
44:16 Ripple Effects and Rebuilding
46:53 Ways to Work Together
48:00 Closing Thanks and Ripples
https://www.redskywalker.school
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jill@endoflifeclarity.com
https://www.endoflifeclarity.com/end-of-life-planning to learn more about End of Life Care planning and schedule a free 30-minute call.