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How do you explain dementia to a child? More importantly, how do you help them continue building a meaningful relationship with someone they love?

In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli is joined by author and actor Evan Bass Zeisel to discuss his children's book, How to Play with a Grandma. Together, they explore practical ways families can help children stay connected with grandparents and other loved ones living with dementia.

Drawing on his background in improv, interactive theater, and dementia care, Evan shares why he believes personality persists despite dementia, how small changes in communication can reduce fear and frustration, and why play, curiosity, and emotional connection are often more powerful than memory.

Whether you're caring for a parent, supporting a grandparent, raising children, or working in healthcare, hospice, senior living, or dementia care, this conversation offers a hopeful perspective on maintaining relationships through every stage of dementia.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to talk with children about dementia in an honest, age-appropriate way

• Why emotional connection often lasts longer than memory

• Simple communication techniques that can improve interactions with someone living with dementia

• How improv and interactive theater can help dementia care

• Why meeting people where they are can transform relationships

If you've ever wondered how to preserve connection after a dementia diagnosis, this conversation offers practical guidance, encouragement, and hope.

Links/Resources

Evan Bass Zeisel - https://www.evanbass.com

Book: How to Play with a Grandma - https://www.howtoplaywithagrandma.com

How You Are to Me, Dementia Communication Training - https://howyouaretome.com

Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com

If you found this conversation helpful, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps more families, caregivers, and professionals discover practical conversations about aging, dementia, grief, and end-of-life care.

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Can travel help you heal after the loss of someone you love?

In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli is joined by Janice Waugh, founder of Solo Traveler, for a conversation about grief, healing, identity, and finding your way forward after loss.

After the death of her husband Ron, Janice found herself facing a question that many grieving people eventually ask: Who am I now? What followed was not just a physical journey, but a journey back to herself. Through solo travel, meaningful connections, and stepping outside of familiar routines, she discovered new confidence, purpose, and a renewed sense of identity.

Together, Traci and Janice discuss why healing doesn't always happen by standing still, how travel can become a powerful tool for processing grief, and why moving forward doesn't mean leaving your loved one behind. They also share practical advice for anyone considering traveling after a significant loss, including affordable travel ideas, staying safe while traveling alone, overcoming fear, and taking that first step.

Whether you're grieving the death of a spouse, navigating another significant life transition, supporting someone who is grieving, or simply looking for hope after loss, this conversation offers encouragement, practical guidance, and a reminder that healing can take many different forms.

Topics discussed include:

• Healing after the death of a spouse

• Solo travel after loss

• Rediscovering your identity through travel

• Loneliness versus solitude

• Finding purpose after loss

• Safe and affordable solo travel

• Building confidence one step at a time

If you've ever wondered what life can look like after profound loss, this conversation may help you see new possibilities.

Links/Resources

• Janice Waugh from Solo Traveler - https://solotravelerworld.com
• Solo Travel Society (Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/groups/SoloTravelSociety
• Traci Arieli from Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• Home Exchange - https://www.homeexchange.com
• International Greeters (Global Greeter Network) - https://internationalgreeter.org

If this conversation encouraged you or someone you know, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps us continue normalizing conversations about aging, serious illness, death, grief, and healing.

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What if the most important part of end-of-life care isn't medical at all?

In this episode of Comforting Closure – Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Kari Sims Anthon, co-founder of the Peaceful Presence Project, to explore the growing movement of community deathcare.

Drawing from her personal experiences caring for both of her parents during their final months, Kari shares how those journeys inspired her to help build compassionate communities that better support people facing serious illness, caregiving, death, and grief.

Together, Traci and Kari discuss why families are often unprepared for the realities of hospice, what community deathcare really means, the "95/5 Rule" of end-of-life care, why community support matters, and practical ways friends, neighbors, and local organizations can help ease the burden of caregiving. They also explore why normalizing conversations about death can help us live more intentionally and build stronger, more connected communities.

Whether you're caring for a loved one, working in hospice or palliative care, serving as an end-of-life doula, or simply want to be better prepared for life's most difficult moments, this conversation offers practical insights, hope, and inspiration.

Links/Resources

• Peaceful Presence Project: https://thepeacefulpresenceproject.org
• Compassionate Communities USA: https://compassionatecommunities.us
• Comforting Closure: https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• Public Health Palliative Care International: https://phpci.org

If this conversation helped you think differently about caregiving, community, or end-of-life care, please like, share, and subscribe. Every conversation helps normalize discussions about aging, serious illness, death, and grief so that more people feel prepared and supported when these experiences become part of their lives.

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What role does creativity play in healing? Can music, art, storytelling, and community help people navigate grief and loss?

In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with Brad Wolfe, founder of Reimagine, for a conversation about grief, creativity, connection, and the ways people find meaning after loss.

Brad shares how music became a source of healing while supporting a close friend through cancer, how his family's Holocaust history shaped his understanding of grief, and how those experiences ultimately led him to create Reimagine. What begins as a conversation about music expands into a broader discussion about creativity, community, post-traumatic growth, and the importance of sharing our stories.

Traci and Brad discuss why creative expression can help people process difficult emotions, how community supports healing, and why some of life's hardest experiences can also lead to deeper connection and purpose.

Whether creativity shows up through music, art, knitting, writing, movement, or conversation, this episode offers an honest look at how people can move through grief while staying connected to themselves and others.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Creativity and grief
• Music as a healing practice
• Community and emotional connection
• Post-traumatic growth
• Transforming pain into purpose
• End-of-life conversations
• Storytelling and meaning-making
• Reimagining how we approach grief and loss

Links/Resources

• Guest: Brad Wolfe - https://www.bradwolfe.com
• Reimagine - https://letsreimagine.org
• Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com

What role has creativity or community played in your own healing journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you found this conversation meaningful, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Your support helps continue important conversations about grief, aging, caregiving, death, and healing.

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What could end-of-life care look like if healthcare professionals and death doulas worked together?

In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli talks with returning guest Kacie Gikonyo, RN, death doula, author, educator, and founder of Death Doula School, about the gaps that still exist between healthcare and death care.

Doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, hospice professionals, and death doulas all have important roles to play. But many healthcare professionals receive very little education about death, dying, and grief. At the same time, heavy caseloads, documentation requirements, and limited time can make it difficult to have the conversations patients and families need.

Traci and Kacie discuss what can happen when those conversations are delayed, including families feeling unprepared for death and patients undergoing treatments without fully considering how those choices may affect their quality of life.

They also talk about how death doulas can complement healthcare teams by providing additional time, education, emotional support, and presence for patients and families.

In this conversation:

• Why healthcare professionals need more education about death, dying, and grief

• Why quality of life needs to be part of medical decision-making

• What families may experience during the active dying process

• What Kacie means by “laboring out of life”

• How death doulas can work alongside hospice, social workers, chaplains, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals

• Why death doulas should complement healthcare rather than replace existing professionals

• How better collaboration could create more human-centered end-of-life care

Kacie also shares the purpose behind the LaborOut Conference, an in-person gathering bringing death doulas, caregivers, healthcare professionals, educators, and other end-of-life professionals together to learn, connect, and strengthen end-of-life care.

Whether you work in healthcare or death care, are caring for someone you love, or simply want to better understand what happens at the end of life, this conversation offers a different way to think about how we care for people as they approach death.

Links/Resources

• Guest: Kacie Gikonyo, Death Doula Kacie - https://deathdoulakacie.com/

• LaborOut Conference - https://deathdoulakacie.com/laborout

• Laboring Out of Life by Kacie Gikonyo
https://deathdoulakacie.com/

• Host: Traci Arieli, Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com

If this conversation helped you think differently about death, healthcare, or end-of-life care, please like, share, comment, and subscribe to Comforting Closure: Conversations with a Death Doula. Sharing these conversations helps make death, dying, and grief easier to talk about.

#DeathDoula #EndOfLifeDoula #EndOfLifeCare #DeathCare #DeathLiteracy #HospiceCare #PalliativeCare #Healthcare #GriefSupport #DeathAndDying

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What does it really look like to date again after losing a spouse?

In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli sits down with author and relationship coach Abel Keogh to talk about life, love, and moving forward after loss.

After losing his first wife to suicide, Abel found himself facing questions many widows and widowers struggle with: When is the right time to date again? How do you handle feelings of guilt? What do you say to family members who don't understand? And how do you build a new relationship while still honoring the person you've lost?

Drawing from both personal experience and years of helping others navigate widowhood, Abel shares practical advice and reassurance for anyone wondering what comes next.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How to tell if you're ready to start dating again
• Why guilt often shows up when moving forward after loss
• Common misconceptions about dating in widowhood
• Navigating conversations with children, family, and friends
• What it's like to date a widow or widower
• Setting healthy boundaries in new relationships
• Taking things slowly and finding your own path forward

Whether you're widowed yourself, in a relationship with someone who has lost a spouse, or supporting a loved one through grief, this episode offers thoughtful guidance and real-world perspective.

Links/Resources

Guest: Abel Keogh - https://www.abelkeogh.com

Books by Abel Keogh - https://www.abelkeogh.com/books

Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com

Have you dated after losing a spouse, or supported someone who has? We'd love to hear about your experience. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who may find it helpful.

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What if the skills we use to support someone through grief could also help us navigate conflict, disagreement, and division?

In this episode of Comforting Closure: Conversations with a Death Doula, host Traci Arieli sits down with Liz Vogel, Executive Director of New Pluralists, to discuss the connection between grief, empathy, identity, and human connection.

Drawing from her work in Pluralism and her training as an end-of-life doula, Liz shares how the practices of presence, curiosity, deep listening, and honoring another person's experience can help us build stronger relationships, even with people who see the world very differently than we do.

Together, Traci and Liz discuss why grief is one of the few universal human experiences, how unattended grief can turn into grievance, and what end-of-life care can teach us about connecting across differences while people are still alive.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• What Pluralism is and why it matters today

• How grief can help us build empathy and understanding

• Why relationships matter more than politics, money, or status at the end of life

• Practical communication skills for navigating difficult conversations

• How curiosity can strengthen connection across differences

• The role grief plays in community, belonging, and social healing

• Why presence may be one of the most important skills we can practice

Whether you're a caregiver, healthcare professional, death doula, grief supporter, community leader, or simply someone trying to better understand the people around you, this conversation offers practical insights and hopeful perspectives for living and relating more intentionally.

Links/Resources

• New Pluralists https://www.newpluralists.org
• Comforting Closure - https://www.comfortingclosure.com
• The Dinner Party - https://www.thedinnerparty.org
• People's Supper - https://www.wearetrustlabs.org/#resources
• Resetting the Table - https://www.resettingthetable.org
• INELDA (International End of Life Doula Association) - https://www.inelda.org
• Anderson Cooper's "All There Is" Podcast - https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/all-there-is-with-anderson-cooper

What stood out to you most from this conversation?

Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you found this episode helpful, please like, share, and subscribe. Your support helps normalize conversations around aging, death, grief, and the human experiences that connect us all.

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In this episode of Comforting Closure - Conversations with a Death Doula, Traci Arieli discusses one of the most emotional and difficult decisions many older adults and families face: should you age in place or move?

Joined by Kim Costa, Realtor and author of Live in Your Wheel House, they discuss how decisions around home, independence, caregiving, safety, grief, and community are deeply connected to quality of life as we age.

Together, they talk about the fear many people feel about leaving the familiar, the reality of caregiving inside the home, and what can happen when these conversations are delayed until crisis hits. They also explore practical ways to evaluate whether a home still supports someone’s physical, emotional, social, and financial needs.

Topics discussed include:

• Aging in place vs moving into a residential community
• Fear of losing independence
• How adult children can support aging parents
• Signs a home may no longer be safe or sustainable
• Caregiver overwhelm and deferred home maintenance
• Community, belonging, and quality of life
• Financial and health considerations when planning ahead
• How to approach these conversations before a crisis occurs

This episode is for older adults, caregivers, adult children, healthcare professionals, death doulas, and anyone navigating aging, caregiving, grief, or major life transitions.

Links/Resources

• Kim Costa: https://lifestylefoundations.com
• Book: Live in Your Wheel House by Kim Costa
• Host: Traci Arieli - https://www.comfortingclosure.com

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest episodes. If this conversation resonated with you, please share it with someone navigating aging, caregiving, or housing decisions for themselves or a loved one.