What is Thanatology

Among the million things I (embarrassingly) didn't know in 2016 when I started working on Help Texts (we were called Grief Coach back then), is that there's an incredible field of study called Thanatology, and that the world is full of (IMO undervalued) Thanatologists who make the end of life experience better. Much better.

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5 Strategic Reasons Your Donation Organization Should Implement Help Texts for Donor Family Aftercare

After the complex logistics of organ, tissue, or eye donation, donor families begin their grief journey, often with limited ongoing support. As donation leaders face increasing pressure to provide comprehensive aftercare while managing tight budgets and staff resources, Help Texts offers a proven solution that transforms your aftercare program's reach, effectiveness, and cost efficiency.

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Grief is a Public Health Emergency

Grieving people are everywhere. Support isn’t. It’s time for that to change. We’re asking healthcare systems, policymakers, and funders to stop treating grief like a footnote. Unlike with other public health issues, such as obesity, we know the exact moment when someone becomes bereaved. We know when a death is registered, when a funeral home files paperwork, when Social Security or the IRS reaches out. Vital Records Offices, coroners, and medical examiners all play a role after someone dies. But where’s the grief support?

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I Didn’t Believe This Was Possible. My Professional Journey from Seasoned Skeptic to Passionate Believer in Grief-Informed Texting.

As someone who had been providing direct care for many years at that point, I was really skeptical. You might say that my protective "mama bear" came out, and I immediately scoffed at the idea that people could feel supported by simple text messages, especially considering my years of sitting with people in their darkest moments.

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What AI and grief-bots can teach us about supporting grieving people

The lesson isn't that AI is replacing human connection, but rather that AI is showing us (or reminding us) exactly what human connection should look like. Every feature that makes grief-focused AI effective is something humans can do better, with the added benefit of genuine empathy, shared experience, and authentic, in-person care.

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Help Texts now offers bereavement support to Canadian hospices

For more than five years, Help Texts has been working with hospices across the US to provide compassionate, clinically sound support to bereaved families. Now this support is available in Canada, and leaders at hospices including Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and Vancouver Hospice Society have adopted Help Texts as a new way to provide year-long support to the families in their care.

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Help Texts for Pet Loss

As veterinary professionals, you chose this field because you care deeply about animals and the people who love them. Help Texts for Pet Loss is simply an extension of that same compassion you show every day in your practice.

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