Welcome to the Dying Year

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Meet Merilynne Rush, MSHP, RN, BSN​

Since 1980 I have been working with families in transition. This work is closely related to a lifelong commitment to social justice activism. For many years I was a homebirth midwife. I am now a pioneer in then end-of-life doula movement. My caregiving and awareness began during childhood, when I was coming up in an all white suburb of Detroit and learning from childhood friends, teachers, caregivers, extended family members, and extensive travel and work around the world. I strive to confront my privilege, bias, and participation in white supremacist culture. That is why I do not turn anyone away for lack of ability to pay. I deeply respect the innate wisdom of each individual. In my classes I attempt to help us all tap into our cultural roots of compassion and caring for each other.
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I love teaching. In addition to being a midwife, I have been a hospice nurse, a companion caregiver, home funeral guide, and health-care volunteer in India, Nicaragua, and West Africa. It has been an extreme honor to work with numerous families in the area of birth and death. I have an MS in Hospice and Palliative Studies and a Nurse Educator Certificate from Madonna University, a BS in Nursing from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Humanities and Women's Studies from Michigan State University. I am a Certified Respecting Choices® First Steps Advance Care Planning Instructor. In service to nonprofit organizations, I was president of the National End-of-life Doula Alliance (NEDA) from its founding in 2018 to October, 2020, a member of the NHPCO End-of-life Doula Council from its creation in 2018 through 2021, and served on the board of directors of the Green Burial Council, the National Home Funeral Alliance, Michigan Doula Connection, and the Washtenaw Health Initiative Advance Care Planning Committee. I received my SageUSA "Caring for LGBT Older Adults" endorsement in 2020, and I participate in a white caucus study group for leaders concerned about institutional racism. Se habla Espanol.
                                                                                            I hope to hear from you!

What's Happening?

End-of-Life Doulas
Wednesday Discussion Group
12 pm EDT, 9 am PDT​
End-of-Life Doula Online Training
  • Nov. 9 - Dec. 7, 2020
​End-of-Life Doula Refresher Class
  • ​Oct. 27
Advance Care Planning
Respecting Choices® First Steps Facilitator training.
  • Nov. 13, 11 am - 4:30 pm EDT
  • LIVE online via zoom
For all types of care providers. Learn to help others designate a healthcare advocate, share their wishes with them, and complete an Advance Directive.
Advance Care Planning Refresher
  • Oct. 23, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EDT
Home Funeral
Become a Home Funeral Guide!
  • Nov. 7, 10 am - 5 pm EDT
  • LIVE online (TBD)
Learn how to instruct families to care for their own dead at home and/or have a green burial, including body care, historical and cultural perspectives, legal aspects, safety precautions, ceremony and ritual, and creating a circle of support.
"I first met Merilynne in person at the National Home Funeral Alliance conference in Raleigh in 2013.  However, MONTHS before she had reached out to me as "the local" to help with marketing, contacting vendors, and making necessary phone calls.  What a dynamo!!  This woman is in-charge, on-point, and top-rate in every aspect related to home funeral and after death home care.  I have so much respect for her and her abilities to organize and get us to where we need to be.  Thank you, Merilynne, for all you do!  It has been a real blessing to know and learn from you through the years."
                                                         ​—Sara Williams, Shrouding Sisters
Sign up for our newsletter and receive a free article, Compassionate Communities: A Public Health Approach to End-of-Life Care by Merilynne Rush, MSHP, RN, BSN