Purpose

The Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation (EKRF) and its international branches are non-profit organizations inspired by the work of psychiatrist, humanitarian and hospice pioneer, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Popularly known for the Five Stages of Grief, Elisabeth is often referred to as “the death and dying lady,” while Elisabeth more aptly referred to herself as the “life and living lady.” 

EKRF México Centro currently spans six states of central México—Guanajuato, Querétaro, México, Jalisco, Nayarit, and Michoacán—and is dedicated to creating platforms for didactic discussion and facilitating conversations about loss, grief, aging, illness, dying, end-of-life care, death, and beyond. We stand for compassionate care for the grieving, the dying, and those who love them, fostering awareness of the power of love and forgiveness as essential elements of good living and good dying. Inspired by Elisabeth’s work, teachings, and deeds, we aim to evolve our death culture and bring humanity back to our loss, grief, dying, and end-of-life processes.

It is our intention to create and sustain the infrastructure that will ensure the longevity of our efforts beyond our lifetimes, for the wellbeing of all and for our future generations.

Our vision focuses on caring for individuals and communities at their most vulnerable times in life with the mission to transform the culture of loss, grief, aging, dying, and death through (a) conscious education and training, (b) compassionate care, and (c) the mindful cultivation of a life of purpose.

The purpose of our proposed projects is to offer safe homes and platforms that foment and sustain a cultural shift around loss, grief, aging, dying, and death, where the qualities of (a) presence, (b) humility, (c) service, (d) unconditional love, (e) compassion, and (f) acceptance deepen in facilitators, educators, learners, caregivers, those receiving care, and the broader community. 

These platforms welcome people of all walks of life who recognize the important need to embrace and engage loss, suffering, grief, illness and dying as processes of healing and transformation in all aspects of the human experience: (a) physical, (b) mental, (c) emotional, and (d) spiritual.

With this purpose we will create and construct educational, continuous care, and end-of-life centers that (a) support the evolution of our loss, grief, death and end-of-life culture, (b) serve our communities, and (c) meet the needs of our older adult populations. 

The project, which is designed to target, develop, and expand our current loss, grief, death and end-of-life culture, and to build and strengthen communities that support this expansion, is comprised of six interrelated aspects that build on each other:

1. Community Outreach, Community Building & Pro Bono Services to Underserved Communities

– Community visits, workshops, interactive lectures, vocational trainings
– Death Cafés
– A Year to Live Study Groups
– Death over Dinner events
– Death Forum conversations
– Public lectures and discussions
– Assessment of community needs
– Documentary for dissemination
– Death Doula, End-of-life, palliative, grief services

2. Accessible Educational Programs, Continuing Education, & Training for
– health service workers, home aides, home assistants, family members

3. Personalized End-of-Life Experiences & End-of-Life Preparation Support
– Personalized retreats for grief support and preparation for end of life
– Orientation and support for highest quality of life until the final moment
– Orientation and support for family and loved ones for end of life care and death with dignity
– Caregiver training and support
– Final wishes fulfillment programs

4. In-Home Hospice & Palliative Care
– Development and training of regional teams
– Supervised in-home training

5. Sustainable Continuous Care Retirement Community Center
– Tiered affordable housing
– Visitor education center
– Community center for events, trainings, workshops, ceremonies, memorials, presentations, and so on
– Hospice and palliative care services

6. Holistic, sustainable, ecological End-of-Life Care Center
– Guest house for the dying and their families
– Conservation burial ground with regenerative agriculture and land protection
– Green burial reforestation program
– Other sustainable burial options

We invite you to become a part of our growing community by making a gift to the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation. Your contribution directly supports the EKR Foundation’s goal of improving access to quality end of life care and grief resources globally.

Your donation, in any amount, will help to fund an array of innovative, compassionate projects – each in keeping with Elisabeth’s mission and vision. 

EKRF receives requests for collaborative partnerships and educational resources on a weekly basis as more and more people globally realize the need for compassionate care for the dying and the grieving. We’re doing the best we can to keep up, and we need your help.

When Elisabeth’s work calls to you, inspires you, or has helped you, and you’d like to help others, please consider donating to the Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation.