About Me
Warmest greetings to you, and thank you for visiting my webpage!
My name is Heather MacLeod. I was born and raised in the community of qathet (aka Powell River) on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, and am now living in the Comox Valley on serene Vancouver Island. I am Mumma to 4 beautiful children and Nana to 8 amazing grandchildren.
A few years ago, I began to consider the process of aging. A family member had received two cancer diagnoses, and we had also begun to notice memory changes in my father. It was at this point that I realized I knew nothing about end of life. This ignited a passion to learn everything I could to support my family throughout these challenging times. I enrolled in the Conscious Dying Institute’s Sacred Passage Doula Program, and graduated two months before my father’s death. I was eternally grateful for the knowledge and wisdom I had gained, as it allowed me to not only support and comfort my family, but care for myself as well.
Shortly after my father died at age 87, I felt called to learn all I could about dementia, and how to support those living with it. After much research, I found Positive Approach to Care (PAC) with Teepa Snow, and am now a fully trained Facilitator and Educator in end of life and Dementia journeys.
This is my love, my passion and the holistic, non-medical space I am meant to be in.
Services Offered
In my role as a Death Doula, I work with individuals and their families to plan out what an 'end of life' can look like through the Best 3 Months (B3M) Planning tool, which goes over and above an Advance Directive and Wills. Preferably, this tool is created long before death and updated every 5 years or so. Planning includes ceremonies, vigils and after death care.
As an Educator and Facilitator, I teach classes about creating one's own B3M vision and planning map, and facilitate speaking engagements on death literacy topics. Also offered are grief groups for anticipatory grief and bereavement support.
As a Dementia Trainer and Consultant with Teepa Snow Positive Approach to Care, I teach ways to work with people in various stages of Dementia. Whether you have concerns for yourself or a loved one struggling with brain changes, I am here to help facilitate those difficult conversations. In class settings, I will provide the necessary tools to help support the person living with dementia. You will receive honest, straightforward answers with care and dignity. For challenging situations in a residential facility or home, I'm available to work with you to assess, dig deep and discover real solutions to those challenges.