THERE ATTHE END

Letting go is hard. When someone you love dies, it can seem like the end of the world. Lynn Redwig (left) and Leigh Connell are both volunteers in Hobart hospices and also work as end-of-life doulas — professionals who help guide the dying and their loved ones through the journey of death. They are a shoulder to cry on, behind-the-scenes fixer-up-erers who quietly make sure everything that needs to get done is ticked off the list.

Redwig says death can bring out both the best and worst in people and families, and is often a very stressful time for loved ones struggling to come to terms with the permanency of passing.

Just like in birth, she says, in death patience, kindness, and privacy can make all the difference, and the experience more healing and easier to bear.

“If we go back in history, dying took place in the family home and it was the doula — the wise person of the tribe — who led the village through the major transitions of birth and death,” Redwig says.

“I feel passionate about giving people the choice of the death they really want and providing a safe and comfortable space for that to happen.”

The emotion that erupts watching a loved one die can be all encompassing and leave a loved one completely helpless.

Connell says she’s always been drawn to helping people cope with the death of a loved one.

“It’s been an area I am very comfortable around,” she says.

“It’s an inner knowing in some ways, and not something that’s for everyone. I love being able to be fully present and feeling comfortable around this transition where life as we know it comes to an end.”