What is a Death Walker?

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Death Walker is a non medical guide who supports individuals, families, and communities before, during, and after death. The term was popularised in Australia by Zenith Virago of the Natural Death Care Centre, and it reflects a holistic, community-based approach to death and dying.

The term “Death Walker” speaks to the relational and sacred nature of death. Rather than being seen only as a medical event, death is honoured as a rite of passage. The Death Walker walks alongside the dying person and their loved ones, helping them to navigate this threshold with clarity, courage, and compassion.

This role is grounded in community empowerment, respect for personal and cultural beliefs, and the understanding that dying can be a meaningful, transformative part of life.

A Death Walker can support in the following ways:

• End of life planning – helping individuals and families prepare emotionally, spiritually, and practically for death
   
• Death literacy education – providing guidance around rights, choices, and options for dying and after-death care
   
• Vigiling – being present during the dying process to offer comfort, support, and presence
   
• After death care – assisting with home-based body care, family-led funerals, and alternative or traditional ceremonies
   
• Ceremony and ritual creation – designing personalised memorials, funerals, living wakes, and grief rituals
   
• Emotional and spiritual support – accompanying people through grief and life transitions with care and compassion