Conference – Dr Annetta Mallon

The Only Person In The Room Talking About Death…

I have finally surfaced from the jet-lag from my trip to Europe, where I was given the opportunity to present twice – once about the funeral disruption industry in Australia, once about End Of Life Doulas in Australia. Both presentations were in the same afternoon, so my tiredness at the end of the trip is understandable.

What I found fascinating is that the funeral disruption talk was slated for the panel “Birth and Death” – however I was the only person in the room who was talking about death. Weirdly, I was in a room full of midwives, nurses and researchers who were firmly fixated on the medicalisation of birth and the ramifications of this for practice. Which is good, and certainly food for good thought and future research pathways, however both mothers and infants/foetueses do die – so I was fascinated by the way I was actually sidelined by the room. Many people took enthusiastic photos of my presentation, but zero questions afterwards.

I do invite all of you to have conversations about death and dying. Please. Don’t be afraid of being the one person in the room who will begin the talks.

If you would like some pointers about how to begin a End Of Life conversation please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Let’s talk.

Talking EOL Doulas and Health Sociology in Europe

I am a bit quiet on the posting at the moment as I am in Europe where I spoke at the biennial European Society for Health and Medical Sociology (ESHMS) conference.

A short holiday to recharge my energies and catch up with friends has followed the conference, but I do want to let you know how the conference went.

I presented on disruptions to the funeral industry in Australia and EOL Doulas in Australia. There is a lot of interest about Doulas in Europe, coupled with a genuine concern that poorer people are able to access our services – many colleagues were wondering about government subsidies for EOL Doulas in fact.

I plan to return to the next conference in 2020, where my research into EOL Doulas will be the focus of my

If you would like to know mire about family-led or alternative funeral options, or are Doula-Curious ease do not hesitate to contact me. I am happy to answer your questions.

Let’s talk.

The Funeral Disruption Industry in Australia

I am proud to be here in Lisbon at the ESHMS conference “Old Tensions, Emerging Paradoxes in Health Rights Knowledge, and Trust”.

I have two presentations: ohne about EOL Doulas and their role in providing ongoing death literacy and continuity of care for clients, the other (a distributed paper) on disruption and tbe corporate funeral model in Australia.

My distributed papet abstract is on pages 74-75 of the program book. I feel so proud, this is a great accomplishment.

Two of MY abstracts accepted for the June 2018 ESHMS Lisbon conference! Huzzah!

Came back from my – unplugged & lovely – holiday last night to discover that both of the abstracts I had submitted to the 17th Biennial conference with the European Society for Health and Medical Sociology (ESHMS) have been accepted!

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The conference – Old Tensions, Emerging Paradoxes in Health: rights, knowledge, and trust – will see me speak about the role of End Of Life Doulas in Australia, as well as ownership of the body, and body autonomy, after death in Australia (including disruptions to the corporatised medical and funeral industry models we are currently seeing emerge in Australia). For example, in Victoria Natural Grace Funerals, and in NSW Picaluna – funeral alternatives like these two companies offer true choice, time, individualisation, and (often) much less expensive End Of Life/funeral options for their clients compared to traditional corporate models. Economies of scale have seen us with our current models, however it is always good to know what your rights, options and choices are.

If you are interested in a funeral that suits you and reflects your life and personality please do not hesitate to get in touch, I am happy to help you understand what your real choices are for funerals and End Of Life.

Let’s talk.