profiles in presence : jamiquan rudd

Meet the Doula: JamiQuan Rudd
In her own words:

JamiQuan is a dynamic, passionate clinical social worker who took The Peaceful Presence Professional End-of-Life Doula Training for residents of rural Oregon counties in 2023.  JamiQuan arrived in Oregon in September 2022, relating that "I moved 3000 miles for this job, because it is my dream job: the opportunity to work for and with older adults” in rural Douglas County. “My career goal has been to create sustainable change; change that doesn’t require that I remain. If we can create systems that work, they will continue to last. This work, the Older Adult Behavioral Health Initiative, is a system that addresses aging and people with disabilities . . . people who are often thought of last, or not at all.”

JamiQuan’s upbringing positioned her perfectly for this life path and its eventual intersection with The Peaceful Presence Project.  She was born into a multi-generational household. She was able to intimately know not only parents and siblings, but her grandparents and great-grandparents. As the oldest child in her generation,”the responsibility for death and dying was mine.” She saw many of her beloved family members through their end-of-life journeys. In addition, her dad became a minister and “death was talked about all the time, as was life. We were the comforting household where sickness, palliative care and death were always part of the conversation. . . the circle of life was always clear, and I was a death worker (in practice) before I became a death doula.”

JamiQuan found The Peaceful Presence Project through a highly regarded co-worker who had attended trainings provided by the organization. “Serving the outliers has always appealed to me. When I came to the program, there was a huge and welcoming space for that.”  In addition, her mom had recently passed away, and JamiQuan’s end-of-life doula training cohort “became my community, providing support just to know they were there. They held me up, unbeknownst to them! That was the most cathartic thing that could have ever happened to me.”

JamiQuan has combined her family background,professional training as a social worker and “whole life doula" approach into her current work with humility and the recognition that she is a lifelong learner. As if that is not enough, she has a consulting business called The Legacy Forums (https://www.thelegacyforums.org/about) that offers a wealth of senior care planning and  management services, both in-person and online.  JamiQuan is a rising star and we are extremely fortunate to have her here in Oregon and in community with The Peaceful Presence Project.