Centre for Supportive Palliative Education
Wednesday Webinars
Wednesday Webinars are free live online gatherings offered by the Centre for Supportive Palliative Education.
Each gathering begins with a question that often arises during caregiving, serious illness, dying, death or grief. Together, we make room for the complexity of these experiences and develop language for things that can be difficult to understand or discuss.
Webinar:Â
Do I Have to Be There When They Die?
People often carry strong expectations about being present at the exact moment someone dies.
Some desperately hope to be there. Others feel frightened or uncertain. Sometimes a person briefly leaves the room and returns to discover that the death occurred while they were gone.
This free webinar explores presence, absence, timing, guilt and the many ways people accompany someone near the end of life.
Date and time
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
12:00–1:00 PM Mountain Time
Live online
Free Registration
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What We’ll Explore
Together, we’ll consider:
- why people feel pressure to be present at the moment of death
- what we can and cannot predict about when death will occur
- why some people die when loved ones briefly leave the room
- the difference between being present throughout the dying process and witnessing the final moment
- how family members can care for their own limits and needs
- responding to guilt when we were not there
This gathering offers reassurance that love and accompaniment cannot be measured by whether we were present for one particular moment.
Who This Gathering Is For
This webinar may be meaningful for anyone accompanying someone who is dying, anticipating an approaching death or carrying regret about not having been present when someone died.
No previous knowledge or professional experience is required.
Recording Access
Registered participants will receive access to the recording following the live gathering.
The recording will remain available until Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM Mountain Time.
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About Cindy Butler
Cindy Butler is the founder of the Centre for Supportive Palliative Education. Her background includes palliative massage, contemplative and end-of-life care, birth doula work and more than three decades of adult education.
Her work helps people understand, prepare for and accompany the consequential experiences and transitions of human life.
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A Note About Participation
This is an educational gathering and is not a substitute for medical care, counselling, therapy or crisis support. You are welcome to participate quietly, and personal sharing is always optional.
Your registration information will be used to provide access and communications related to this gathering. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.
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Be Part of This Gathering
Enter your name and email below to register. You’ll receive the Zoom information, gathering reminders and information about the limited-time replay.Â
