Love them, even in death — how to take care of dying friends & family | Erin Merelli | TEDxMileHigh

When your loved one dies, the corporate funeral industry will make you believe you only have a couple of options: burial or cremation. Package A or Package B. But it isn’t true. This $16.5 billion industry is a relatively modern invention. Across cultures and across time, everyday people have taken care of their dead. In this beautiful talk, death doula Erin Merelli shares how you can create a meaningful, deeply personal experience around the death of a loved one. “It will be scary at first,” she says, “But once you push past the fear, the only thing left is love.” Death Doula & Ceremonialist Erin Merelli works with those on the edge of death all the way until their final breath. In 2019, she partnered with Green Funeral Director Lauren Carroll and co-founded Deathwives. Together, they’ve successfully trained thousands of people to support their own loved ones through the end and to provide death care in their communities. Erin lives in Denver with her two teenagers, a rotation of rescue animals, and an ethos that grief is an act of love. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx