EOL Navigators: The Beauty Within
by Caren Martineau
Donna Bassin is a powerful storyteller using the arts as a witness to trauma. She records societal change in her role as fine art photographer, clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, documentary filmmaker and author.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was when she agreed to use her camera to help reframe a conversation no one wants to have.
“Fashion!
Turn to the left
Fashion!
Turn to the right
Oooh, fashion!
We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town
Beep-beep Beep-beep”
During pre-production, we talked about consumerism and how our culture rewards style over substance—a conceit which works exceedingly well for the young, socially connected crowd, but no so much for an aging generation.
Everyone involved understood my goal was to produce an influential pictorial essay — a piece of communication that turned our current end of life narrative inside out to purposefully deliver a fresh perspective.
That’s the backstory. Shooting began in January 2019, long before the pandemic struck— long before end of life professionals were widely recognized for their selfless, heroic compassion and long before anyone saw what we saw.
But that’s what happens with art.
We add family members, we lose family members. We love to the best of our ability and push ourselves to respectfully accept differences. Beginnings, middles and ends. -Lois Nachamie LCSW-R Psychotherapist
I go from one ecstatic room to the next, encouraging grieving people to interact with the dead. It isn't scary. It's a privilege. I think the dead are rooting for us; they want us to succeed when they see that our hearts in the right place. -Amy Cunningham, Funeral Director
I am a healer and goals of care educator. Yes, end of life decision-making is a difficult topic but can be surprisingly transformational when done long before the end. It’s a gift for those who will be caring for you. -Tacy Silverberg-Urian, Advancechoices.org
“Sometimes as an antidote
To fear of death,
I eat the stars.”
Caregivers are so often on their own, pulled out of their comfort zone. It’s game changing to have someone there to address the unspeakable, shed light into the unknown and if possible, help find the exquisite in the midst of it all. -Devorah Medwin, Interdisciplinary Practitioner
“When you come to the edge of all the light you have, and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, believe that one of two things will happen. Either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”
Jessamyn Tabakin MSW Integrative Education, Grief Counseling
Asha Bernard MA, LPC, NCC Oncology Counselor, Grief Recovery
Andrea Peyser LCSW, JD Aging Legal Counseling