Calgary Needs a Worker Owned Cleaning Co-Op
We want to start one. With rising living costs and wage increases not keeping up with inflation, it's becoming more important than ever to build businesses that are worker owned and worker run. "A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise." (Canadian Worker Co-Op Federation)
We are looking for people to join us as we establish a co-operative of janitorial service workers who share resources, decision making rights and profits while also experiencing the job security and benefits of working for a larger company.
Email Danni and Mandy if that's you!
Extra Hands was born from a belief that life, including the quiet work of making a home, should be done with support and great care. Equipped with a neurodivergent brain and 8 years of experience trying to do this work on my own, I dreamed up this idea to change the way we approach care tasks and...well...life.
Often my work involves cleaning a house. Other times it means being a second brain in the room while a person packs up their life or makes space for new things. Whatever the work and whatever the end goal, I approach it with no judgement, but a belief that everyone deserves to live a life that they love in a space that they love.
Services
All services are completely customisable and include a free consultation with me to create a plan that works for you. All services are $40/hour with a minimum call out of two hours.
Cleaning
Cleaning support can look like many different things.
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deep cleans of the whole house
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frequent maintenance cleans
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co-cleaning, where we divide and conquer
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support while we clean that room you've been avoiding since 2020.
And any other areas you could use a bit of support in.
Body Doubling
Body doubling is a tool widely used by people struggling with executive function, inertia and procrastination especially of daunting or tedious tasks. The idea is that we are more focused and productive when there's someone else in the room. In the past this has been how my clients have tackled important tasks that they've been avoiding. We can work together on the task, you can give me other jobs to do, or I can bring my own work. We can chat the whole time, work in silence, have a dance party. Your choice.
CareTask Support
There is always so much to be done. So many decisions to be made, boxes to be sorted through, paperwork to fill out, phone calls to be placed. It's a lot and it's okay to not be able to do it all and to need another brain to borrow. Sometimes this is a matter of making a list together, working through a list you've already made, or simply prioritising and sorting through what's important and what can wait.
"To allow life to play itself all the way out — so that rather than just getting it out of the way, aging and dying
can become a process of crescendo through to the end."
-BJ Miller
Death can be many things, but beautiful is rarely a word that comes to mind for us. As most of us have become separated from the process of dying it's become something we rarely talk about and often avoid. I believe this approach has done us a great disservice. While dying always comes with a certain amount of suffering, it needn't be void of joy, celebration, and hope. Death is an opportunity to lean in, experience every available wonder, and reflect on who we are.
With a belief that life is to be lived until we die, my hope is support people as they prepare for their own death or the death of a loved one - to provide the opportunity for this final experience to be a beautiful crescendo.
Services
As a student death doula I am grateful for the opportunity to learn while providing services that best support my clients. While I'm gaining experience I'm offering a reduced rate of $40/hour, with the exception of some services that come with a flat rate. All services include a free consultation with me to discuss the right fit for you and an estimate of total costs.
Preparation
Preparing for death can involve many things that look different for everyone. Some examples of what this might mean are...
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Legacy Projects
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Document preparations
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Medical appointment Companion
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MAID preparation
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Advanced Care Plan
Vigil
The active dying process can look very different depending on many variables. Because of the variability a doula can be a great asset as they help navigate the changing circumstances. The services offered may look like...
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Vigil preparation and facilitation
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MAID Companion
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Informing on the active dying process
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Supportive presence
After
After someone passes, surviving friends and family are left with the task of transitioning into life without their person, without the constant busyness of caring for a dying person, without the worry but with a new companion - grief. Often there is support early on, but eventually that support wains while grief doesn't. Here are some ways I can help.
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Funeral preparations
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Grief support
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Logistical support
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Cleaning & mental load support