A life well lived deserves an ending that honors that life.
A good death rarely happen by coincidence. It requires:
intentional conversations and planning
knowledge of care options and choices available so best decisions can be made
how to put your personalized plan into action
a space to get support to process and cope with grief and all its intense emotions
celebrating and embracing your big, beautiful life that you are still living
This is not easy, but you are so worthy of it and it is truly one of the very best gifts you can give those you love.
You don’t have to do this alone. I am here to help.
Every life has its own unique story full of exciting adventures and times of uncertainty, love and heartbreak, up's and downs, accomplishments and lessons learned, quiet nights on the couch watching Netflix and others where we dance till our feet hurt. All our experiences, beliefs, values, culture, thoughts, feelings and choices come together to make us who we are. We celebrate life through birth plans, birthdays, graduations, weddings, retirement. We embrace and acknowledge the big moments and intentionally plan for them! Yet, we rarely do this when it comes to the end of our life.
This is a societal issue in our country. Talking about death and dying is often perceived as taboo and avoided as much as possible. Until you are in a position where you have to. This can often leave people feeling overwhelmed with feelings of uncertainty and grief as they navigate decisions and tasks that need to be completed. It's like being pushed in the deep end of the pool without swimming lessons.
We aren’t prepared!
We can change that together.
The mission of A Better Ending is to get us talking about death and dying so we can live more fully! To provide a supportive and educational space where individuals and their loved ones can best plan and prepare for an end-of-life experience that is a true reflection of their wishes and life. This is accomplished through community events, private workshops, and 1:1 and family counseling and social work support. An informative, empathetic, and sometimes humorous approach is taken to make it an empowering and meaningful experience that aides in intentionality, normalization, healing, and acceptance.
Working with Rosie
About Rosie
I am a passionate end-of-life social worker, researcher, and educator. I discovered my life's calling in this space when I began volunteering for a hospice agency in my 20’s. While upon deeper reflection, even at a young age I never shied away from death and grief. I lived through significant losses as a teenager and young adult. Those deaths forever changed my life as they taught me how unpredictable and precious life is. Serving in healthcare for nearly a decade has strongly reinforced this along with the need to talk about end-of-life wishes with intention, compassion, and openness long before one is dying.
I have had the privilege of working alongside incredible clinicians serving patients and their loved ones in community, remote, clinic, and inpatient settings within the specialties of palliative care, oncology, and hospice. I have developed strong skills in navigating the healthcare system and community resources, facilitating tough conversations, being a fierce advocate, problem solving within the lens of person centered care, and being comfortable holding space for grief. I often found myself struggling to work within the confinements of the healthcare system. A Better Ending came from my desire to go deeper, do more, and do better by my community. I am a true lover of people from all walks of life and feel such honor being able to do this very important work.
Rosie Gaston, MSW, LICSW, APHSW-C
Masters of Social Work, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Advanced Palliative & Hospice Social Worker Certificate.