Henry Fersko-Weiss - Caring for the Dying: The Doula Approach to a Meaningful Death

A pitch-perfect, accessible book on an otherwise inaccessible subject. Fersko-Weiss's beautiful and poignant stories can be used as road maps not only for clinicians but also for patients, family members, or caregivers who wish to stay connected through to the end of life.

BJ Miller, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCSF
and attending specialist for the Symptom Management Service of
the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

An inspired and practical guide on accompanying those on the precipice of death. Henry reaches into his years of experience to provide the reader with invaluable tools. He focuses in on the essential nonmedical elements that really matter like deep listening, sitting vigil, establishing a calm and receptive environment, and facilitating meaningful rituals. Lots of wisdom in these pages.

Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Metta Institute, co-founder
of the Zen Hospice Project, and author of Five Invitations:
Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully

An extraordinary contribution to the care of the dying. Through story and instruction, Henry Fersko-Weiss offers his great wisdom on how we can offer meaningful care that can not only ease an individual's dying but provide consolation to family and friends as they cope with grief and loss.

Kenneth J. Doka, author of Grief Is a Journey

Henry's calm, practical, and pioneering book is an excellent guide for those wishing to learn how to be a doula for the dying, whether formal or informal, which will certainly also make them an inspiration for the consciously living. This book should be taken up with great relief to guide us from now, while vibrantly alive, and certainly at the time of transition.

Robert A. F. Thurman, Jey Tsong Khapa professor of
Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University
and author of Infinite Life and Man of Peace

The doula program described here provides skilled, compassionate, mindful presence to people at the end of life and their loved ones, helping guide them to an experience of dying which affirms their lives and enriches the lives of those left behind. I wish all patients had access to this amazing program.

Leslie Blackhall, MD, section chief for palliative
medicine and associate professor of medicine at the
University of Virginia School of Medicine

As a pioneer in the work of improving end-of-life care, Henry Fersko-Weiss has written a remarkable book. Drawing from decades of work with the dying, Fersko-Weiss offers up stories and insights as he humbly chronicles his own journey of crafting a much-needed and innovative approach to end-of-life care. Caring for the Dying is medicine for a world where far too many of us experience unfortunate deaths. A must read.

Amy Wright Glenn, author of Birth, Breath, and Death:
Meditations on Motherhood, Chaplaincy, and Life as a Doula

Part guidebook, part memoir, Caring for the Dying introduces us to the path of end-of-life doulas who accompany people on their journey from this life, who fulfill our collective commitment to care well for one another through the most difficult and vulnerable times, and bear witness to the inherent worth and dignity of every human being.

Ira Byock, MD, founder and chief medical officer of the
Providence Institute for Human Caring and author of Dying
Well, The Four Things That Matter Most, and The Best Care Possible

This is a necessary book for anyone who cares for othersthe living and the dying. As one of the pioneers of our contemporary age, Henry has much to teach us.

Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, co-founder and co-executive
director of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative
Care and co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative
Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care

Caring for the Dying supports my theory that our death can be designed to reflect special moments, our values, our spiritual briefs and even our personality. The death-doula approach is the bridge that can make death an experience and not just a destination.

Kimberly C. Paul, chief executive officer of Death by
Design and creator of Begin the Conversation

Caring for the Dying will not only become a standard for those wishing to train in the way of the doula. It will be a book that answers questions for those who have been in the presence of death and a sourcebook and support for those who wish to bring such a compassionate and caring role into one of life's most challenging and sacred moments.

Robert Sachs, LISW, board member of Hospice of San Luis
Obispo and author of Rebirth into Pure Land and Perfect Endings

Please read this book if you or someone you love may die one day. Sacred moments surrounding the last days of life are explicitly delineated in this easy-to-read book, which is full of stories from the author's experience as a professional doula.

Roberta Temes, PhD, author of Living with an
Empty Chair: A Guide Through Grief

An inspiring and moving collection of end-of-life scenarios illustrating how we can face life's final passage with dignity and thoughtfulness. Fersko-Weiss provides a glimpse at the true meaning of a good death. Essential reading for anyone who wants to create a meaningful experience for themselves or someone they care about.

Fredda Wasserman, co-author with Norine Dresser
of Saying Goodbye to Someone You Love: Your
Emotional Journey Through End of Life and Grief

In Caring for the Dying, Henry Fersko-Weiss brings the reader into his personal journey in supporting a meaningful way of death and dying and his evolving work in the end-of-life-doula movement. The principles and techniques of an end-of-life doula are interwoven with Henry's experiences in a way that makes this book inspirational and helps lessen the mystery and fear of death for any reader who wishes to face their own death with less fear and a focus on meaning.

Kris Kington-Barker, executive director of
Hospice of San Luis Obispo County

What inspires Henry's eminently practical book is his well-informed insight that we can live and die knowing that we are part of a larger inclusivity. In vigiling, in legacy work, in his guidance on deep listening, Henry teaches us that our living and our dying weave us to one another.

Marco Mascarin, PhD, RP, co-founder of the Contemplative End
of Life Care program at the Institute of Traditional Medicine

There is an abundance of literature on death and dying, but there is little that can compare with the poignancy, compassion and wisdom that Henry Fersko-Weiss brings to the subject. Drawing on his vast experience as a death doula, he offers practical information and inspirational anecdotes that serve to guide others in the art of being present and caring for the person who is dying. Midwifing death in this way honors the dying person, their life and their legacy. A godsend for anyone who wishes to prepare for their own death or midwife the death of someone they love.

Michael Barbato, MD, retired palliative care physician,
researcher, teacher, and author of Midwifing Death

A thoughtful and instructive text on how doulas can help people die as they would wish and a guide for families as they cope with what may be the most stressful period of their lives. Illustrated by his actual cases and those of fellow doulas, Fersko-Weiss has created a useful resource for consumers and professionals dealing with the complicated topic of death and dying.