Death Doulas
Birth doulas guide you into life; death doulas guide you out - Bess Lovejoy
image by: End of Life Doula
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Staying Curious: End-of-life Ruminations of a Doula
Holding this space does bring up the question: “Can you ask a client to sit with and delve deeper into the thought of their death without exploring your own?” The answer: “You can’t, really. It is almost impossible to do this work well without engaging with your own mortality.” I believe we owe it to ourselves and those for whom we hold space to be with our own deaths. And that is what I have been doing. I have been intentionally engaging with my mortality. This does not automatically mean I am at utter, blissful peace with the knowledge that I will die. Not by a long shot.
Resources
Death Doulas Used to Be Rare. The COVID-19 Pandemic Changed That
The job is often misunderstood, partially because many feel it’s a morbid occupation. But death doulas disagree, saying there’s often more dignity in the work than sadness.
‘Death Doulas’ Provide Aid at the End of Life
End-of-life doulas support people emotionally, physically, spiritually and practically: sitting vigil, giving hand massages, making snacks.
Death doulas: helping people face up to dying
People often seek support to bring a new life into the world, but what about when we are preparing to leave it? Rebecca Green talks about what she does.
End-of-life doulas: the professionals who guide the dying
Doulas are tasked with maintaining a sense of calm for the dying and those around them, and opening the conversation about death and loss, topics that can often be taboo.
An end-of-life doula’s advice on how to make the most of your time on earth
Life is short. Here’s how to cherish every day of it.
As the end nears, ‘death doulas’ ease the way
Just as birth doulas help clients and families understand what to expect from the birth process and offer support throughout, death doulas do the same, helping patients achieve their daily goals when a cure is no longer possible and continuing to provide counsel until death. They also help families carry on.
Death doulas can fill care gaps at the end of life
Gaps in our health and social care systems are starting to be filled by death doulas. But beyond providing practical support, families are increasingly seeking the services of death doulas to help navigate the experience of dying. Those nearing the end of their lives, too, may bring in a death doula to ensure they can die the way they want to.
Death Doulas Help You Figure Out Your Life Before You Die
Death makes us vulnerable, incoherent, and depressed. Death doulas are here to help.
Doulas Are Becoming Part Of The End-Of-Life Equation
More and more people are choosing to die in their homes instead of in hospitals. The New England Journal of Medicine reports the number is the highest it's been since the early 1900s. So families are turning to trained caregivers for support.
Dying Is Radical: Talking Taboo with a 'Death Doula'
Bodhi Be explains how to die green.
How a decades-old law led to death doulas’ lawsuit against California’s funeral bureau
The outcome of the legal dispute will have major repercussions on what doulas are legally able to do going forward, and whether doulas must become licensed funeral directors if they want to continue some practices.
Meet the Death Doula Who Helps People Deal with the 'Bookends of Life'
Increasingly, people are turning away from institutionalized births and funerals, which some find impersonal and intimidating. Laura Saba is there to help on both sides.
“Death doulas” are helping Americans savor the last days of their lives
The first moments of life can be filled with heightened emotions, confusing paperwork, and plentiful bodily fluids. Life’s final moments are often similar. And just as the past few decades have seen a growing number of doulas (the term is Greek for “woman who serves”) providing emotional and practical support for women during childbirth, the past few years have seen a growing number of individuals offering similar services at death. Birth doulas guide you into life; death doulas guide you out.
Staying Curious: End-of-life Ruminations of a Doula
Even so, engaging with my death has allowed my life to become lush, more profound, and complex. It has pushed certain things into sharp focus. It motivates me to have the difficult, awkward conversations I would have put off a few years ago.
International End of Life Doula Association
Changing the face of dying might seem like a huge undertaking—and it is—but to accomplish meaningful change we strive for a goal that keeps calling us forward, reaching for what is just beyond our outstretched fingertips.
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance
The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance “NEDA” is a diverse and inclusive 501c6 non-profit membership business league that serves as a “big tent” for those who share its mission, vision, and values (see below); and who seek to learn about, promote, and provide educational and professional support for its members.
DeathDoulas.com
Our Mission is to provide grounded presence, consistent companionship, education, coaching, and advocacy to individuals and families wanting support on their sacred walk to end of life. We also raise the conversation and consciousness of death, dying and grief by offering education, workshops and resources to the beautiful community around us.
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