Ichabod Smith and Family
Designed and built by Angie McLachlan, The Ichabodies – death dummies™ are a unique family of 'people'. Working as 'Professional Death Dummies', The Ichabodies can help facilitate conversations in numerous areas where death and mortality are the subject of discussions and training.
With interactive bodily functions, The Ichabodies have been designed to be individuals with many characteristics encountered when looking after real people after they have died.
Angie and Ichabod have trained students over the past decade, for Green Fuse Funeral Training, Solace of Souls Care and Training, the Soul Midwives School and Life Rites. We have also worked with a range of other death doulas, hospices and individuals. Ichabod also has a wife, Ichabel who is currently working away with a provider in the home funeral network. The family also includes Ichabod’s brother, Ich-aah, and his niece Vichy. Additionally, there are the ‘Ichkids’ granddaughter, Jessicha, baby Nichi and the ‘pre-term tinies’ who include the twins Angelika and Silica.
With interactive bodily functions, The Ichabodies have been designed to be individuals with many characteristics encountered when looking after real people after they have died.
Angie and Ichabod have trained students over the past decade, for Green Fuse Funeral Training, Solace of Souls Care and Training, the Soul Midwives School and Life Rites. We have also worked with a range of other death doulas, hospices and individuals. Ichabod also has a wife, Ichabel who is currently working away with a provider in the home funeral network. The family also includes Ichabod’s brother, Ich-aah, and his niece Vichy. Additionally, there are the ‘Ichkids’ granddaughter, Jessicha, baby Nichi and the ‘pre-term tinies’ who include the twins Angelika and Silica.
TRAINING:
Our training is designed for those wishing to enter into any aspect of death care and includes hands-on activity and in-depth mentor style discussions. We work with small groups (no more than 8 people) and individuals.
Our training is designed for those wishing to enter into any aspect of death care and includes hands-on activity and in-depth mentor style discussions. We work with small groups (no more than 8 people) and individuals.
In-depth table discussions are an essential part of our training.
Practical work with Ichabod helps students learn first-hand.
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We keep numbers small to give all students the opportunity to participate.
Ichabod's coffin teaches students about the practicalities of the final journey.
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Ichabel also assists at the Soul Midwives' School in Dorset.
Ichabel also trains people to care for the dying.
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"This is a top grade workshop that sensitively teaches Last Office Care...
This workshop cannot be too highly recommended..."
This workshop cannot be too highly recommended..."
"Angie, what a fantastic teacher you are. You have made everything so clear.
I've had a wonderful day. You are an amazing lady!"
I've had a wonderful day. You are an amazing lady!"
"It offered a unique opportunity to ask questions that would ordinarily be difficult to get answers to...
very creative hands on practical experience which served to firmly embed the theory..."
very creative hands on practical experience which served to firmly embed the theory..."
We also raise awareness around death and dying care and often attend events and conferences.
Here, Angie is being interviewed by a South Korean film crew at the Dying to Know Exhibition in Bournemouth. |
Ichabod spent two weeks with Southern Gas Network assessors, who were examining new gas engineers. He and his granddaughter played the role of a family who'd been overcome by gas fumes. We were proud to take part in this vital life-saving training at Streetwise, Bournemouth.
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WHY DID WE CREATE ICHABOD?
Angie was asked by Green Fuse Funeral Training to teach a care of the body course to their funeral students. We realised that it would be limited without access to a body and thought long and hard about how to deliver such a course. How do you discuss and teach complex body care ethically? In these days of bio-ethics and personal data protection, how can students be taught the things that they really need to know things that will build confidence and good practice? We looked at ‘Resusci Annies’ and other training dummies, but they are designed for other purposes and specialist medical dummies are very expensive. The best solution was to create our own ethical 'death dummy' and so, Ichabod was born.
Angie was asked by Green Fuse Funeral Training to teach a care of the body course to their funeral students. We realised that it would be limited without access to a body and thought long and hard about how to deliver such a course. How do you discuss and teach complex body care ethically? In these days of bio-ethics and personal data protection, how can students be taught the things that they really need to know things that will build confidence and good practice? We looked at ‘Resusci Annies’ and other training dummies, but they are designed for other purposes and specialist medical dummies are very expensive. The best solution was to create our own ethical 'death dummy' and so, Ichabod was born.
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Angie has a special interest in coping mechanisms, especially those used by people who work closely with death. Her goal is to facilitate dialogue across different professions and to enhance good practice through the sharing of experience and insider discourse.
Angie was a finalist in the 2015 Awards for her work with Ichabod. Her category - the person who has made a 'Major Contribution to the Understanding of Death'.
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In 2013, Angie was runner-up in the Embalmer of The Year category at the Good Funeral Awards. Pam St Clements gave out the awards and spoke about her deathbed scene as Pat in Eastenders. Liz Davis (left) was the winner.
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Angie and Ichabod are members of Dying Matters and the
Good Funeral Guild. |
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Book
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