Melanie Humphries-Connolly
Tender Loving End of Life Care
Affirming and celebrating life in all its beauty and mystery
tenderlovingeolc@gmail.com
End-of-Life Doula
Kia ora I'm Mel, as an End of Life Doula my role is to companion, to witness, to honour, to learn, “a friend at the end” providing holistic guidance and support.
I bring with me a wealth of experience, knowledge and skills having worked as a nurse for over 30 years. I am a mother, musician, Deathwalker and lover of warm, sunny tropical islands.
With a background in palliative care, older adult mental health nursing and dementia care I am passionate about supporting and empowering our communities to live and die well in a positive way, to do death better.
I currently co-facilitate the Hutt Valley Death Cafe, have presented at Death Without Debt workshops, hosted community events for Dying Matters Week 2024 and held Death over Dinner parties with friends. I support the global Compassionate Communities movement and hope that one day we will see a Compassionate Communities Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Services and offerings
Advance Care Planning
Guidance on getting your affairs in order
Empowering you with knowledge to make informed decisions about your end of life choices and care
Support and encouragement to maintain a sense of control and autonomy along the way
Listening deeply and advocating for you when needed
Emotional, spiritual and practical support for you, your whānau, friends and care team
Support and guidance on planning well for a peaceful, gentle death
Education on the dying process and what to expect
End of life companionship and vigil at the bedside
Co-creating sacred space, rituals and ceremony
Holistic aromatherapy for spiritual and emotional support
Legacy work - creating meaningful moments and memories
After death care - practical, personal, emotional and spiritual support
Cooling mats - resource for death care
Bereavement and loss support
I also offer a facilitated community sharing circle where you can gather a small group of friends/whānau to start the essential conversations we all need to be having around dying, death, ageing and loss.
This offering can take place in your own home or a community setting of your choice.
Please phone or email me for an initial free consult to discuss how I may be able to provide support.
