Fanshawe students Audrey Muise and Jessica Mcdella (right) alongside instructors Christal Malone and Jodi Hall (left) from the Doula studies program attending a seminar at Mount Pleasant cemetery given by Peggy Bloomfield (middle).
Students from Fanshawe’s Doula studies program visited Mount Pleasant Cemetery to learn about how to help new parents as well as grieving families during the loss, and patience in palliative care.
“This is an annual opportunity for us to engage with Mount Pleasant, our community partner and our visit here today marks our fourth in person as we’ve met during COVID two times virtually for this opportunity,” said Professor Jodi Hall, who teaches in Doula Studies.
Students participated in a seminar given by Peggie Bloomfield, London’s first fully licensed female funeral director, who shared what led her to begin working in the funeral industry. The talk also included experiences working in the field about different processes families go through at different stages of the pregnancy cycle.
“I’ve noticed a lot of other students have a lot of hesitancy around the topic of loss and grief and I’m comfortable with those topics, so I think it’s important that those of us who are can take these opportunities to learn how to hold more space for people so that this can be a more comfortable topic for everyone,” said Jessica McDella, a student in the Doula studies.
A very sensitive topic, like death, can be a very difficult time when it comes to helping others heal from dealing with the hardships it can cause in someone’s life. Opportunities to learn from industry professionals can help give insight and the necessary tools to help students out once they move on into the actual workspace.
“I came to the Doula studies program with a bachelor’s in social work, so I find it very interesting how social work and Doula work together”. said Aubrey Muise, another one of the students.
Muise described the visit as being beneficial as a learning experience and also sharing a personal connection as well.
I’ve always wanted to support people through pregnancy, birth and postpartum.” said Muise. “I’ve taken a lot of experiences from this, gotten a lot of community connections and just learned how to also prioritize myself in this way.” Muise continued.
The second part of the visit consisted of talking about the topic of cremation and the process of how the job is done. The group then got to tour the crematory to get an in-depth look at the cremation furnaces and cold storage.
“We hope that our students take away an appreciation for the connection of first breath to end of life because of our doulas company individuals and families through reproductive options and outcomes. We are aware that they also May encounter stillbirth, death and loss and so we want our students to appreciate the community services that intersect with their work,” said Hall.
The visit also ties into an event called ‘Doing Deathcare Differently”, which is being organized and hosted at the college where the students will be showcasing their final projects discussing the various roles of end-of-life doulas and their roles in palliative care.
The event will take place in Fanshawe’s Innovation Village on March 28th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the Canada Life village square.
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