The word doula is from ancient Greek and means a woman who serves. Today, it refers to a person trained to provide support either to the dying or pregnant.
End-of-life doulas may provide services ranging from ensuring your legal documentation is in order (will, trusts, funeral arrangements, and so on) to vigil planning to arranging disposition of the body after transition.
Some even think of their EoL doula as a project manager for their transition. They rely on the doula to communicate with loved ones, arrange the vigil setting, coordinate appointments, plan meal delivery, coordinate offers of assistance from friends. This type of oversight and management can free you and your family to focus on being fully present to the journey at hand.
We are alive at a time when the approach to and outlook on death is evolving. Many are reclaiming their journey by expressing their desires and preferences for end-of-life treatment, dying at home, having loved ones care for the body after death, and opting for home funerals. An end-of-life doula can provide numerous resources and information for self-directing your transition.
Covid-19 Update: I am fully vaccinated and am comfortable meeting in person with masks. If you would rather not meet in person, we can meet via phone calls, video calls (using Zoom or FaceTime), and outdoors as weather permits. We can be creative!
You matter because you are you. And you are the only one in the world, and we will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully but to live until you die. ~ Dame Cicely Saunders, MD
