Meet Our Members
We are the Orange County Deathworkers Alliance, a collective of compassionate professionals dedicated to supporting individuals and families navigating the complexities of end-of-life experiences.
Our diverse membership includes caregivers, medical doctors, death doulas, photographers, writers, artists, and other end-of-life practitioners. Each member brings a unique perspective and set of skills, united by a shared commitment to making the end-of-life process less daunting and more human.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
Each individual listed here takes a unique approach to service. These professionals offer a variety of services designed to help ease the process before, during, and after a death.
* Please note that engaging any of these providers for consultation or services is the choice of the user. The OC Deathworkers Alliance makes no claims as to the compatibility of the user's expectations, needs, and satisfaction with the selected consultant. We suggest you ask questions, consider your options carefully, and aim to find the right provider that matches your needs, budget, and personality.
Death Doulas/End-of-Life Practitioners:
Services provided by a death doula range from pre-planning to education and support throughout the dying process, as well as after-death rituals and home celebrations.
A doula can help locate appropriate resources, including hospices, caregivers, palliative care, assisted living, legal support, medical aid in dying (MAID), green burial and body composting options, cremation, and more.
Engaging a doula can encompass a life review, making end-of-life choices and documents, developing legacy projects such as videos, memory books, letters, photos, and art for loved ones, and envisioning plans for one's final days.
Physicians Offering Medical Aid in Dying (MAID):
California's End of Life Option Act went into effect on June 9, 2016. The law allows mentally capable, terminally ill patients to request "Medical Aid in Dying" - a prescription for a medication that will end their life at their own chosen time. MAiD is currently legal in 10 states and Washington, D.C.
More information is available here: Compassion And Choices
Personal stories shared by Californians: Testimonials
Legacy Artists
Palliative and Alternative Care Providers:
Art, photography, and an artful online presence are beautiful ways to honor a person's life and connect the people who loved them.
Offering pain and symptom management alongside holistic approaches to ensure comfort and dignity.
“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. What is grief if not love persevering? ”
— Jamie Anderson
OUR MEMBERS
Barbara McMurrary
End-of-Life Consultant
Guiding people in planning end-of-life choices by connecting them to resources, enabling them to focus on what truly matters and transition with grace and dignity.
Nick Schiavoni, M.D.
Palliative Care Consultant
Anesthesiologist with a passion for palliative care and innovative therapies. Currently working to offer ketamine-assisted therapy for end-of-life patients, collaborating with specialists in palliative care, psychiatry, and integrative medicine to develop comprehensive, compassionate, and personalized treatment plans.
Andrea Deerheart
Founder of The HeartWay
End-of-Life Care, Advocacy & PlanningGrief Counseling. Healing Meditations, ceremonies, funerals & Memorial Services. Medical Aid In Dying Ingestion Planning & Support.
Debbie Naude'
End-Of-Life Doula
Holistic non-medical support, life reviews, caregiving respite, and heartfelt transitions—Debbie has sat beside numerous people in their final months/days. She shares resources to ensure patient autonomy and communicates end-of-life wishes clearly with family, medical staff, and loved ones. Debbie was trained through the University of Vermont.
Dr. Donald Moore
End-of-Life Physician
Dr. Donald Moore, MD is an end-of-life physician with extensive experience in Medical Aid in Dying. Comprehensive end-of-life services tailored to meet your individual needs to ensure a dignified, peaceful, and personal experience.
Rickie Redman
The Artful End
Empowers individuals to discover and embrace their own version of aging and death. Practical support, guidance in navigating family dynamics, referrals, advocacy, death education, memoir writing, and end-of-life planning. Aging in place specialist for older adults welcoming people of all ages and the LGBTQ+ community.
Judith Iannaccone
End-Of-Life Practitioner
Heart-centered guidance and emotional, spiritual, and practical support to individuals and families navigating the end-of-life journey. Trained by INELDA and The HeartWay, she meets clients exactly where they are, serving the whole person and supporting their loved ones. Compassionate companionship, End-of-life choices and documents, Intuitive Support: Reiki and Yoga Nidra, Practical resources and referrals.
Christina Shook
Photographer / Archivist
Vintage Human Photo Stories: Capturing long, well-lived lives. Photographing aging and elderly people led to helping document and digitally preserve a legacy.
Nicole Simon
Grief educator and Grief Support
Grief support, Reiki, Sound baths, Community circles. It was enlightening to discover that I could befriend my nervous system and help myself feel more calm, peaceful, present & powerful through Breathwork, Sound Therapy, Reiki, and Coaching. I’m so confident in the benefits of these practices that I have now invested time in training to share them with others.
Christina Lerchen
Online Legacy Creation - The Memories Remain.
The Memories Remain is a simple, heartfelt app that helps people tell their stories before they're gone. It allows you to create a personal online memoir filled with memories, messages, photos, and more. It’s not about death. It’s about honoring life, in your own words, while you’re still here.
Kathy Carchidi
Aging Advocate -Care manager
Offering personalized guidance, resources, and support for people navigating the challenges of aging, illness, and life transitions. Former hospice social worker. Expert at care coordination, managing complex medical situations, caregiver support, and helping loved ones make informed decisions.
Tim Ringgold, MT-BC
Board Certified Music Therapist & Grief Coach
Supporting people after loss through retreats and coaching rooted in music therapy, nervous system support, and compassionate companioning. A blend of clinical skill with spiritual openness and the healing power of community. Helping clients feel less alone, reconnect to what matters, and take gentle steps forward while honoring their grief.
Carrie Polhammer
Organized By Design
Organizing services designed to support Seniors through life transitions.
Our services include: location coordination, downsizing, rightsizing, and new home setup. Move management. Estate sale coordination and home clearouts.
Karen Lynn Hunt, BSN, RN
End - Of - Life Doula
End-of-life doula providing emotional, spiritual, and practical support during life’s sacred transition. Former labor and delivery nurse, hospice nurse. Founder of Doula of the Sacred Canyons in Silverado Canyon. Host of monthly Happy Trails Life Café on Zoom, inspired by the Death Café model.
OUR APPROACH
“We are all just walking each other home.”
-Ram Dass
We believe that confronting death with openness and support can transform a typically isolating experience into one of connection and meaning. Our approach is grounded in empathy, respect, and a deep understanding of the varied cultural and personal attitudes toward death and dying.
GET INVOLVED.
If you offer end-of-life services and are interested in joining our alliance, or if you seek assistance and would like to learn more about our members, please reach out to us. We are here to support and guide you through this journey