Frequently Asked Questions

Jacqui has participated in providing end-of-life care and support for dying persons and their loved ones, including her own family and friends.

Whilst the role of an End of Life Doula is a non-clinical role, Jacqui brings her health professional experience which complements this role. Jacqui’s work experience and areas of study include:

• Lifting the Lid International Death and Dying Festival guest panelist (November 2024 arranged)
• Queensland Funeral Celebrants Professional Development Day – Funeral Celebrants Association Australia September 2024
• Panelist for Dying to Know Day 8th August 2024
• Podcast Midlife Unfiltered – The Season of Me. Episode 6: Death 5th August 2024
• ABC Brisbane Radio – live interview 24 June 2024 Morning radio with Cathie Schnitzerling
• Key note speaker at Australian Catholic University – Australasian College of Paramedicine – A Palliative Approach to Care. 18 June 2024
• Queensland Funeral Celebrants Professional Development Day – Funeral Celebrants Association Australia. September 2023
• Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation HLTAID009 – Allens Training September 2023
• End of Life Doula Intensive Workshop (4 days) – Preparing the Way (December 2022)
• End of Life Doula Foundation Workshop – Preparing the Way (December 2022)
• Midwifing Death – TAFE NSW (December 2022)
• Cultural Awareness/Communication and Culture and End of Life – Multicultural Advisory Service (MAS) March 2021
• Australia’s first – licensed Willow EOL Educator” – Willow EOL (August 2021)
• Provide first aid (HLTAID003) and Provide basic emergency life support (HLTAID002) – Allens Training August 2021
• Supporting a person before and after death – Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement (April 2021)
• What to expect at the end of life (nursing cues and medical perspective) – East Melbourne Primary Health Network (Mar 2021)
• Understanding grief responses related to a variety of sudden deaths – Wendy Liu & Nathan MacArthur (Mar 2021)
• 2020 Dying2Learn – CareSearch MOOC (November 2020)
• Using the PREPARED framework to support advance care planning conversations – Office of Advance Care Planning (October 2020)
• Supporting conversations to complete the Statement of Choices document – Office of Advance Care Planning (October 2020)
• Understanding advance care planning documents commonly used in Queensland – Office of Advance Care Planning (October 2020)
• Cultural Considerations for End-of-Life Care – Office of Advance Care Planning (October 2020)
• Introducing advance care planning for the people in your care – Office of Advance Care Planning (October 2020)
• Managing difficult situations at funerals – Funeral Celebrant’s Association Australia (Sept 2020)
• End-of-Life in Residential Aged Care Facilities: Pharmacological Symptom Management – PallConsult (Sept 2020)
• Principles of Quality Terminal Care – PallConsult (September 2020)
• Palliative Care Case Conferences in Residential Aged Care – PallConsult (Sept 2020)
• Managing death, recognising the end of life, and after-death and bereavement modules – ELDAC – End of Life Directions in Aged Care (Aug 2020)
• Caring, Death, and Loss in a Pandemic – Ritual practices for healing and connection (with Sarah Kerr, Soul Passages): July 29, 2020
• PalAssist Coordinator: May 2019 to July 2022
• Dimensions of Palliative Care – Communication Challenges Conference – Brisbane (March 2020)
• PCC4U Focus Topic 1: Multidisciplinary Care – Palliative Care Curriculum for Undergraduates (February 2020)
• LifeOptions: online End of Life Doula studies (Feb 2020 ongoing)
• LifeOptions: Death Doula Certificate (6-7/4/2019)
• Certificate IV in Bereavement Support : Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement, Victoria (2019)
• Ceremony Master Class : ceremony as a sacred rite of passage & crafting for complex and challenging deaths (Natural Death Care Centre, NSW 8-9 November 2018)
• Deathwalker Training : exploring & embracing death; caring for & being with dying; ceremony, ritual & rite of passage; preparation & advocacy; funeral arrangements; bereavement, loss & growth (Natural Death Care Centre, NSW June 30 – July 2, 2017)
• Palliative Care : online course www.palliativecare.com.au (2013)
• Palliative Care: a Community Nursing Approach (PCACNA) : St Luke’s Nursing Service & RTO ACU (1998)
• Palliative Care : 32 week course: Royal College of Nursing (1998)
• Diploma Frontline Management: Community Services : A.I.M & HACC Resource Unit (97- 98)
• Bachelor of Nursing (Post-Reg) : ACU (1992-93)
• General nursing training (RN) : Princess Alexandra Hospital (1980-1983)      

LinkedIn

Memberships include:

• Holistic End of Life & DeathCare Australia (HELD)
• End of Life Doula Directory
• Funeral Celebrants Association Australia
• Natural Death Advocacy Network (NDAN)
• Natural Death Care Centre
• Palliative Care Queensland

Interviews and articles by Jacqui

• Key Note Speaker – The role of the Death Doula in community. Conference: The Illumination Through Collaboration Symposium – West Moreton Connect – Care at the End of Life and Older Persons Care Collaborative. November 2023
• Palliative care at home: How to plan for your loved one’s wishes (10 June 2020 – Home Instead blog)
• Palliative Care: The art at the end of life (Aged Care Australia 2020.2 article)
• There is More to Life (June 2021 – Afterlife Discussions group )
• Dying Well – Why Don’t We Talk about Death but Should! (Bay FM 100.3 podcast – June 3, 2021)
• Have we lost the art of caring for the dying  (Australian Carer Guide – Queensland, September 2022)

Jacqui was a Committee member in

Past Committees

• Brisbane South Primary Health Network (BSPHN) – Community Advisory Council Committee (October 2023)
• Project Member and Lead for RDCOTA (Redland District Committee on the Ageing) Compassionate Communities Pilot Project (Oct 2021 – June 2023)
• Palliative Care Queensland (PCQ) – Queensland Compassionate Communities Advisory Committee (2020 – Jan 2022)
• MND AQ Management Committee (2021 – 2022)

For more information go to Pricing

End of Life Transitions complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) & the relevant National Privacy Principals. Any personal information that you provide Jacqui will only be used for the purposes for which it has been provided to her. The webserver used is hosted by WebCentral (https://www.webcentral.au) and they comply with the auDA Information Security Standard (ISS). Links placed on this website are for interest and information only and do not constitute personal endorsement by Jacqui.  For further information go to Privacy Policy & Terms of Use on our privacy page.

Yes. All feedback is very welcome and valued as it expresses your experiences regarding the services that Jacqui has provided. To provide feedback please email on jacqui@endoflifetransitions.com.au or write to PO Box 5320 Victoria Point. QLD 4165.

You are welcome to provide feedback via a Google Review using the Contacts Page – feedback button.

Yes! Jacqui’s family and friends are very, very important to her. Keeping healthy – cycling & walking.

Jacqui’s Funeral Celebrant page provides information about the services she offers as a Funeral Celebrant or you can refer to the Funeral Celebrants Association Australia website for more information.

To understand the role of a Funeral Director she has provided a general list of services that they undertake:

• Consult with your choice of Funeral Celebrant or clergy * remembering you can pick whomever you would like
• Are available to contact 24 hours a day, 365 days per year
• Transfer the deceased from the place of death to the funeral home
• Provide personal consultation with the family to discuss funeral arrangements and details for any ceremony
• Liaise with you regarding your choice of crematoria or cemetery and make any  necessary arrangements with church, chapel or venue
• Provide guidance on wording and placement of any newspaper/media notices
• Collect the medical certificates and dispatch to the appropriate authorities
• Undertake death registration with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages
• Arrange use of their own amenities such as chapels, private family viewing facilities (if available)
• Supply hearse and other funeral vehicles
• Liaise with any florists (if required)
• Organise audio-visual requirements e.g. music and/or musician of your choice; and PowerPoint presentation
• Provide memorial attendance books for friends and family to sign
• Prepare the deceased for viewing (if requested)
• Attend to embalming by qualified personnel (if required)
• Provide mourning stationery – i.e. cards, Order of Service
• Record the ceremony/service (if required and available)
• Provide after-funeral refreshments/catering (if requested)
• Make a referral for bereavement support (if required)

To honour the person you have loved you may choose to have the ceremony at a chapel located at a crematorium, although you may choose to hold it in a place that reflects the life and has meaning for the person who has died  e.g. at home, in a garden or park, overlooking the ocean or in a hall, a sporting club, a family farm. And it’s important to know that you can take some time to absorb the shock of a loved one dying before undertaking the funeral ceremony. Particularly if it was an unexpected death.

Gravesite ceremonies – A burial or committal can be held after the main ceremony at a chapel where the eulogy, tributes and readings etc. are performed. Some families choose to have a short and private ceremony by the gravesite alone.

A memorial ceremony/service is one where your loved one’s body is not present which can be due to a number of different reasons e.g. the family may choose to have a private ceremony (burial or cremation) and then hold a memorial ceremony for friends of the deceased; or there may be circumstances where a body has been donated to science; or the body not released yet due to coroner’s investigations; or where there is no body or remains of a loved one found. Sometimes where a cremation has been undertaken, the family may have a memorial where the urn is present . This type of ceremony allows the loved ones to acknowledge the life of their loved one in a variety of different settings e.g. a funeral home, a park, a beach, your backyard and also can be held many weeks, months or years after person has died and can be held at any time.

If your loved one had donated their body to science, or in the very sad situations where no body remains have been located for any reason – then a memorial ceremony can be a wonderfully meaning tribute and way of symbolising your loved one’s life.

This ceremony, similar to a memorial ceremony, can be done at any future date after a person has died. The family may be waiting for a certain special event e.g. an anniversary or birthday; or for family to travel to attend. Some people like to scatter the ashes at a significant place, others prefer to keep the ashes. There are many options for scattering or placing of ashes e.g. casting, raking, green burial, water scattering etc. Jacqui is happy to explore these with you.

You can contact Jacqui directly to discuss your funeral or memorial ceremony requirements whether you are using a Funeral Director or not. If using Funeral Director services, you will need to advise them if you want Jacqui to be your Funeral Celebrant. She will then liaise with them regarding the ceremony requirements.Jacqui is also available to discuss ‘living wakes’/ ‘living funeral’ with people if they want to have a ceremony celebrating their life whilst they are still alive.

• For more information on the role of an End of Life Doula and what services Jacqui provides, please go to the End of Life Doula page. 
• An End of Life Doula (EOLD) is a non-medical, non-nursing, non-allied health, non-personal care worker role that focuses on advocacy, information, and support (emotional, spiritual, psychological, social, practical)
• Members of the health team – doctors, nurses, allied health and personal care workers – are very important in providing medical, clinical and personal care services to the person who is dying; and support to their loved ones. The End of Life Doula does not replace these roles, instead complementing these roles by adding further end of life support to individuals and their families/friends.

End of life doula services will be most frequently called upon in the last few weeks, days or hours of a person’s life. Doulas can also assist people to prepare for death when a person is of good health and not facing imminent death.

Yes, this is one of the services Jacqui offers as an End of Life Doula. Pre-planning your own funeral can be done at any stage of life and often provides the person with a sense of empowerment and relief that the important milestone of one’s own death is not left up to others to have to plan.

Yes, as an End of Life Doula Jacqui is able to sit with you and collate important milestones and memories from your life and co-create a memoir of your life story which can be passed down to the generations; or simply provides an avenue for reflecting on the life you have lived. Writing, videoing or painting your own life story allows you the opportunity to actively participate in crafting and leaving your life story and legacy.

There are many elements within end of life and advance care planning. As your doula my role can help you migrate, plan and document some of your end of life wishes. Having direct experience in the area of advance care planning within Queensland, Jacqui can assist you to understand this area, have conversations with your family/loved ones and assist with some aspects of advance care planning documentation.

A living funeral or living wake is a way of celebrating your loved one’s life with them whilst they are still alive. It doesn’t have to be a formal event. It provides an opportunity for the dying person to express their feelings and appreciation for the family and friends who have been part of their life; and is a way of connecting with those who are important to the dying person, before they die. It is also an opportunity for the loved ones to tell the dying person what they  mean to them; and also to share in unique life experiences they have had with that person. It is a form of celebration of life. Jacqui is also available to discuss ‘living wakes’ with people if they want to have a ceremony celebrating their life whilst they are still alive.

Upon death, an End of Life Doula can be available to:

• Support and guidance for the deceased person’s loved ones who want to prepare the deceased person’s body prior to transfer to the mortuary or funeral director’s premises
• Honour the religious or cultural wishes/requirements of the deceased and their family while ensuring legal obligations are met
• Ensure the deceased’s privacy and dignity is maintained
• Provide bereavement support

• Do you fear thinking about a loved one dying? Or even your own death?
• If you were to become seriously ill and unable to voice your own healthcare decisions – would your loved one know what your wishes were?
• Have you completed your Will and other advance care planning documents?
• Do your loved ones know where to find them?
• Are you caring for a loved one who is dying and feeling alone, stressed and uncertain about the future?
• Have you told anyone where you would prefer to die?
• What funeral arrangement would you like?
• Do you know how to be an organ and tissue donor?
• And do those you love know your wishes?
• What is more important to you…
• Quantity of life? OR Quality of life?
• Would you like to tell someone your life story just to reminisce or to write your story to pass onto the generations to follow?