About Deanna
Deanna Cochran
End-of-life care since 2000
Before my decision to go to nursing school in 1998, I was a stay-at-home mom. My first daughter was born in 1989 and with her on my hip I completed my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in 1990. My major was Psychology and I minored in Business Administration.
It became clear in my second semester of nursing school that my work would be with those of us who are dying. Within 3 months of receiving my RN license, I was training at a local hospice. Throughout the last several years I have worked in oncology, long term acute care and skilled nursing facilities as well, but mostly within hospice in various roles. In each setting, what it taught me was there was needless suffering going on and I wanted to be part of changing that.
After the death of my mother, June 15, 2005, I decided to start my own practice as a midwife to the dying and to their families. As I went to various places to get the word out that I was here. There were a lot of people wanting to know about this but also they wanted to know how to deal with life-limiting illness in general. I spent most of my time educating about palliative care.
People began to hire me to consult with them about the difficult decisions they needed to make. I was an objective 3rd eye on the situation. I had no investment in their decisions, only that they made one based on their values and not from “expectations” or pressure from anyone. So I do all three now. I speak and do workshops wherever I am asked, I consult with families and I am here to serve as a midwife for the dying.
My main love in service is as a midwife to families as they walk those last steps with their cherished loved one. Guidance and comfort is what I bring to a family, I am told, because they know I am an experienced and highly trained practitioner. They can relax knowing I'm there to make sure everything is going as it should.
I have assisted as a hospice nurse and as a lay midwife. I have been at the bedside of people with very complicated situations as well as people with the normal expected decline of death that is peaceful. Even people in difficult situations can come into peace because of the expert monitoring and proactive delivery of care by an experienced palliative team.
And as a midwife to the dying, the emotional and spiritual support is what is really happening in all of it.
The first time I sat with a family is when I was 13 years old. My grandmother in Laredo told me one day in Spanish, "come with me." She took me to the home of a neighbor who was dying. There was a vigil going on already. They wore black and all had veils. They were silently praying. We sat down and I watched her closely during our time there. It was truly a transformative experience. The woman dying was still, comfortable and supported in every way as she made her transition.
I felt at home, comfortable and in my element although I didn't understand it at the time. I wasn't afraid, only mesmerized by the power in the room, the reverence. I understand now that experience revealed my calling.
Below is more professional information.
It became clear in my second semester of nursing school that my work would be with those of us who are dying. Within 3 months of receiving my RN license, I was training at a local hospice. Throughout the last several years I have worked in oncology, long term acute care and skilled nursing facilities as well, but mostly within hospice in various roles. In each setting, what it taught me was there was needless suffering going on and I wanted to be part of changing that.
After the death of my mother, June 15, 2005, I decided to start my own practice as a midwife to the dying and to their families. As I went to various places to get the word out that I was here. There were a lot of people wanting to know about this but also they wanted to know how to deal with life-limiting illness in general. I spent most of my time educating about palliative care.
People began to hire me to consult with them about the difficult decisions they needed to make. I was an objective 3rd eye on the situation. I had no investment in their decisions, only that they made one based on their values and not from “expectations” or pressure from anyone. So I do all three now. I speak and do workshops wherever I am asked, I consult with families and I am here to serve as a midwife for the dying.
My main love in service is as a midwife to families as they walk those last steps with their cherished loved one. Guidance and comfort is what I bring to a family, I am told, because they know I am an experienced and highly trained practitioner. They can relax knowing I'm there to make sure everything is going as it should.
I have assisted as a hospice nurse and as a lay midwife. I have been at the bedside of people with very complicated situations as well as people with the normal expected decline of death that is peaceful. Even people in difficult situations can come into peace because of the expert monitoring and proactive delivery of care by an experienced palliative team.
And as a midwife to the dying, the emotional and spiritual support is what is really happening in all of it.
The first time I sat with a family is when I was 13 years old. My grandmother in Laredo told me one day in Spanish, "come with me." She took me to the home of a neighbor who was dying. There was a vigil going on already. They wore black and all had veils. They were silently praying. We sat down and I watched her closely during our time there. It was truly a transformative experience. The woman dying was still, comfortable and supported in every way as she made her transition.
I felt at home, comfortable and in my element although I didn't understand it at the time. I wasn't afraid, only mesmerized by the power in the room, the reverence. I understand now that experience revealed my calling.
Below is more professional information.
- RN, end-of-life care since 2000
- Hospice Case Management; Hospice After-hours, On-call, crisis care; Administrative positions within hospice and other healthcare settings; as well as floor nursing in various fields.
- Founder, Quality of Life Care, January 2006, the QLC mission and Quality of Life Care.
- Consultant and advocate
- Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse*
- Certified Mediator
- Certified Celebrant
- Member: Texas New Mexico Hospice Organization; National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association, Oncology Nurses Society
- Blogger, Quality of Life Care
- Organizer for the 2007 Austin Celebration of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day. The World Event
- Workshop facilitator, presenter and speaker