We're all just walking each other home
What is a death doula, and how can you benefit from their compassionate care, knowledge, and skillsets?
An end-of-life doula is a trained, nonmedical professional who provides emotional, physical, and educational support for an individual nearing death. They are often considered a mentor for the final chapter of life and are typically brought in by the dying person’s family.
Some doulas prefer to be on-call, others may be available for overnight care, while others establish regularly scheduled visits with their clients. While a doula can and oftentimes does work alone, they can also work in teams, or accompany hospice workers. Regardless, they consistently provide comfort and care for the dying person, and make the process more dignified, and less chaotic or stressful for everyone involved.
Doulas foster relationships with individuals both at the onset of their diagnosis and beyond. They strive to minimize a dying person's loneliness and isolation through death, a role that is often too difficult to be played by close family members and friends. In addition to these roles, there are many and varied services a doula can provide to support those in need at a sacred, and personal time in their life. Take a moment to view some of the more commonly asked questions surrounding doula services. You may be surprised, even relieved to learn just how beneficial hiring a doula can be!
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What does a death doula do?
When a doula enters an individual’s life, specifically for the dying process, they bring expertise, resources, realistic expectations, and unbiased support to help make sense of the dying process. While many doulas specialize in different areas of care and support, they can include, but are not limited to, the following areas of expertise:
- Facilitate end-of-life planning, mediation and advocacy that honor the dying person’s wishes
- Provide comfort measures for the dying
- Provide emotional and spiritual support
- Facilitate life review and legacy projects
- Provide education, information and resources
- Give respite to caregivers
- Provide logistical and household support
- Offer after-death care services