End-of-Life Doula
Many people are familiar with the concept of a birth doula, but are you aware that there are also End-of-Life Doulas? Death and dying, at the end of life, is not a medical emergency, but a human emergency.
Our End-of-Life Doula is like the “Event Planner of Life Transitions.” She is there to help you determine what matters most to you during your transition process, and helps to bring your ideas to fruition. What matters most to you during the time you have remaining on earth? What loose ends do you need help tying up? What broken or estranged relationships do you perhaps want to bring to a point of resolution?
Our End-of-Life Doula is there to help you figure out what death and dying can be like, since death is a subject that, culturally, is just not spoken about much. She can help you share your stories that are yet untold, or help you hold a “pre-memorial” so you can reminisce together with your friends and family about the good old days.
And the best part? Unlike with many other hospital and hospice practices, our End-of-Life Doula is included in our hospice services, and there is no additional cost to have her as a part of your transitioning process.
To sum it up, an End-of-Life Doula is an all-encompassing, non-clinical support for a dying person, and for the people who love and care about them.
More Information About End-of-Life Doulas
How does having an End-of-Life- Doula help?
Doulas are able to help “fill the gaps” between all of your different service providers.
They can work together with you and your family members to help you develop a “Death Plan” so that you can have a say in what different aspects of your transition will look and feel like.
Doulas are non-medical support offered to our patients and their families. They are non-judgemental and meet you exactly where you are at. It is their wish that you are able to experience your transition with dignity and grace- whatever those words mean to you as an individual.
What is the difference between your Spiritual Care services and the services offered by your End-of-Life Doula?
First of all, Medicare requires that our Spiritual Care practitioner do an assessment on each hospice patient. End-of-Life Doula services are rare and are not included for free in the services offered by the vast majority of hospice providers in the United States.
Our Spiritual Care Coordinator is able to connect patients with the resources they need during their end-of-life stages that help them feel at peace. They are there to comfort you, discuss the “big questions” with you, and walk you through your deepest fears.
Like the Spiritual Care Coordinator, our End-of-Life Doula recognizes the sacredness of life, but her focus is more on what you want your transition experience to look and feel like. She is more action-oriented and helps to create more of a sense of normalcy around the idea of death. She helps you and your family create and execute any desired rituals, meetings, and ceremonies, and is there to support you and your loved ones create a positive, fulfilling, and memorable experience.
What religious perspective does your End-of-Life Doula operate from?
Yours, and only yours.
Both our End-of-Life Doula and our Spiritual Care Coordinator services are offered without religious bias. Our goal is to meet you right where you are, creating and facilitating the experience you need and desire. We are able to offer support for you no matter what religion you practice (or even if you have no religious practice at all!).
We never, ever preach or proselytize, and never judge our patients for whatever experiences they choose to have.
If you desire a specific religious or spiritual practitioner or perspective, both our End-of-Life Doula and our Spiritual Care Coordinator have a wide network of people that they can connect you with, so you can get the exact services you need.