Great Dane joins the family

Birgitte Due Jensen Koch, Danish Institute for Existence

It’s a changing world out there. Resources for end of life planning are expanding every week. Here at Final Fling, we keep track of interesting developments across the globe and this week we’ve been in touch with, Birgitte Koch, Founder of The Existence Institute in Denmark to find out what they’re up to.

The Institut for Eksistens is interested in making the journey towards end of life as good as it can be for individuals, their families and the health care workers supporting them:

“Our mission is to eliminate taboos about death in Denmark through training, lectures and research,” said Birgitte. “The Institute focuses on each individual’s relationship with death – including physical, mental and metaphysical aspects – but also on living life to the fullest until death occurs. We are particularly interested in life just before death.

Birgitte reports that 2014 got off to a good start in Denmark: “Over 300 Danish children die of incurable illness each year so we’re delighted to see government has approved the setting up of Denmark’s first ever hospice for children. 

“With political approval in place and financial discussions underway, it does seem likely that Denmark will have its first children’s hospice before too long.

“The new hospice will be built as an extension of the oldest hospice in Denmark, Skt. Lukas Hospice, located slightly north of Copenhagen. Once finished, the new hospice will have space available for five children and their families.”

No doubt our new friends in Denmark will watch and learn from the experience of other nations and CHAS – Scotland’s model children’s hospice – is certainly a good starting point.

The Institut for Eksistens is the latest addition to the Final Fling community. If you want to join the movement, contact us.

 

 

 

Time for a change of career?

The New Year is a good time for reflection and planning – out with the old, in with the new.

We’ve been talking to Hester Brown, who’s making a change in life by becoming a celebrant and asked her about her inspiration: “When we got married, we wanted a non-religious ceremony and used a humanist booklet to help write our own. I’ve thought there should be more support for non-believers ever since.”

Hester contacted us to be added to Final Fling’s directory for celebrants, humanists, funeral arrangers and ceremony planners and shared her excitement at her new role.

Her life skills equip her well for the role: “My background is in journalism and PR so curiosity about people’s lives, interviewing and writing comes naturally. I have done a lot of event management too but leading funerals will be something else. I’m most looking forward to helping people feel as in control and positive as they can at a difficult time.

“The BHA training for funeral celebrants is a sound, well thought-out programme that prepares celebrants for every aspect from the family visit to the ceremony itself.

“I found it stimulating, stretching, illuminating and great fun. Being part of a cohort of up to a dozen fellow trainees, and all the group work, means you immediately have colleagues to check things out with and use as sounding boards. Like a good funeral, the experience is not gloomy but moving and uplifting. It reminds you of what is important in life and gets you thinking.

“The BHA programme offers much more than a few days’ training: trainees are given mentors at the start, to observe and discuss anything along the way. Five days’ training (one day and then two sets of 2-day residentials) is paced over two months with practice script-writing and observation of mentors in between, to embed the learning. A lot of skill development in interviewing, writing and public speaking is incorporated as well as opportunities to practice the logistics of leading a funeral and understand the wider business involving funeral directors and crematorium staff.

“Attention is given to understanding the needs of the family or bereaved, to being sensitive to the many different emotional states and expectations they may have. And running throughout the whole programme is the idea of humanism – just a very positive way of looking at the world that gives equal value to every human being and sees death as an important moment to celebrate that person’s life and remember our own mortality.

“Once accredited, you join your local network of humanist celebrants which is great because you not only get a source of help and advice, it also means you have some flexibility about taking on funerals: when you have capacity you can help others out who are too busy, and vice versa. And the BHA doesn’t disappear at the end of the training: it carries on providing support with an Annual Conference for celebrants, marketing materials, online forum.

“I feel positive and excited about becoming a humanist celebrant, that I have made the right choice and chosen a path which is going to be both interesting and profound.”

Way to change your life Hester.

Find out more about options for training to be a celebrant.

Happy new you

How are you feeling today? Bit thick headed? Clear and bright? Happy with your entry to the new year? Need a bit of a cleanse and some focus? Well have no fear. Final Fling is here.
For 2014 we’re starting a new resource on Final Fling… Life Support.

I’m a qualified life coach and executive coach and as is evident from the one poached pear, slice of lemon tart, 2 egg yolks, ball of almond paste and half slice of smoked salmon in the fridge – I don’t like anything to go to waste.

So I’m going to be offering weekly tips and tricks to offer Final Flingers support to lead the best possible life. That’s the spirit of Final Fling. Take responsibility, own our choices. Celebrate life.

So week one… day one…
LIFE SUPPORT: TASK ONE

Imagine 2014 is the last year you’ll have.

1. What will you stop doing?

2. What will you start doing?

3. What will you keep doing… and do better or differently?

This is day one of the rest of your life.

Enjoy.