Beth McDonald - Making Grace

The politics of aging and dying Death midwife to speak on end-of-life care at CWC meeting McDonald is a death midwife with decades of experience helping her clients navigate the parallel processes of the emotional, spiritual and business aspects of death and dying. Read below to learn more about how to better prepare for aging, eldercare and dying, and how the right advisor can add perspective to the difficult end-of-life journey and provide comfort and closure for loved ones and the dying. The Carpinteria Woman’s Club is located at 1059 Vallecito Road. Learn more about McDonald online at bethmcdonaldconsulting.com. Beth, tell us a little bit about your professional background and what led you to helping clients with the business, process and politics of aging and dying. I definitely came to this work through the side door — it wasn’t something that had ever crossed my mind to pursue. As a psychic medium, I was used to working with clients and their beloved dead. Relatively early on, clients started asking me to help with various aspects of the aging and dying processes. It was an incredible honor, I couldn’t say no, and doing it changed my life. But when Medicare and Medicaid changed in 2006, those requests really exploded; they did again during Covid-19, and it is happening again now because of the “Grey Tsunami” of aging boomers that is happening concurrently with cuts to the VA, Medicaid and Medicare, and Social Security. What are some of the shortcomings of modern culture’s approach to aging, eldercare and the dying process? How does the work you do fit in or support that? The biggest shortcoming is a lack of understanding of how complicated these processes are: of how many different aspects of them there are, and of how many things have to go right to get the experience you want. Another shortcoming is the lack of intergenerational knowledge, cooperation and communication. Another is financial. Insurers are covering less; elder care and death care have traditionally been areas where families spend vast amounts of their accumulated wealth. How does your facility as a psychic influence your approach to aging, eldercare and the dying process compared to others in the field? I see my approach as being an adjunct to whatever medical and spiritual care the family members want. As an intuitive, I can see, hear and communicate with the dead. This can help in planning, in managing changes, at the deathbed, and after. Being an astrologer helps in two ways. The first is it gives me a sense of timing: understanding what things are best handled when. The second is it gives me insights into the personalities, values and communication styles of the different individuals involved, so I can be more successful in managing people and moments. Describe the problem you are solving and the people you are solving it for. Nobody escapes death, so the problem of how to face yours is a universally human one. So, on the macro level, the problem is making peace with the whole concept of death. On the micro level, the problem is how do you want yours to be? And what things do you need to do in your life — especially the second half of it — to get the experience you want? Can you offer examples of how you have worked with individuals and families to overcome some of the common challenges faced by the aging, elderly and those who are dying? One whole category of case studies has to do with families supporting a loved one who has been battling terminal cancer and is in the last days and weeks of life. At some point everyone has to come to grips with the fact that this is the end, and often I am called in to help facilitate the different aspects of that process.