What does an End of Life Doula do?

An End of Life Doula or Death Doula provides loving, compassionate support and guidance for people in the dying process or who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or condition. I was called to this path because I truly believe that our culture needs help transforming our way of thinking about death and dying. Dying deserves the same reverence and welcoming as birth as an opportunity to transform.

I can guide and support you and your loved ones to create a plan for how you want to leave this life. Such a plan could include friends, chosen family members, and pets and can include a legacy project that everyone participates in, and a plan for a vigil in your final days and hours, and a plan for the immediate hours and days following your death.

Are doula services only for people who are dying of an illness or condition?

No, please read below about my particular array of services.

  • Severe depression and thoughts of suicide

I will serve people who have chronic severe depression who have attempted death by suicide or people who think about suicide. For people who isolate because of depression, a conversation about how to include people you love in how you think about dying by suicide may provide relief from suffering for you and for those who are fearful of your thoughts of dying.

  • Anorexia

I serve people who have severe anorexia and do not wish to continue treatment. My services must include your treatment team, including physicians, psychiatrists, mental health professionals, and your chosen loved ones. The top priority is your comfort and appropriate care. I honor and respect being tired of the struggle and to listen in to the soul’s hunger to be heard. Emptiness and starvation are calls to go deeper and to be with yourself with mercy and compassion.

  • Losses of babies due to miscarriages or terminations of pregnancy for any reason

Women and their partners who have lost a baby due to miscarriage or termination of a pregnancy are often not given the opportunity to prepare for or imagine a ritual prior to a miscarriage due to medical complications during pregnancy, or terminating a pregnancy for any reason. Too often, a miscarriage is dismissed or minimized and terminating a pregnancy is often shrouded in shame and secrecy. A doula can help you create a ritual to commemorate the loss of a pregnancy and may provide support during an abortion procedure. Many woman feel very alone and abandoned particularly in places where seeking medical help for terminating a pregnancy is difficult and traumatizing.

How much does a doula cost?

My services are based upon what is affordable for you. I do not have a set hourly fee. We decide together on the duration of services and what works best for you.

Does a doula help with Advance Care Directives?

A doula can provide support and guidance for specifics around the types of medical interventions you want in collaboration with your family, your medical care team and your attorney.

What is Medical Aid in Dying?

Please click on or copy and paste on this link for the American Clinician’s Academy for medical aid in Dying: for understanding how it works:

https://www.acamaid.org/

If you choose Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), a doula can help you understand the process and craft a specific plan with your care providers for your care and craft a plan for how you want to die.

What is voluntary stopping eating and drinking (VSED)?

“VSED (voluntarily stopping eating and drinking) is the conscious act of a person to intentionally stop eating and drinking with the goal of ending their life. The decision to use VSED relies solely on a competent person’s preference and determination to control his or her own dying. VSED is a natural process by which people have historically chosen to die in many cultures, as they’ve lost their appetite as a natural process at the end of their lives. Hospice nurses in Oregon rated VSED a “good death” giving it an 8 out of 9 as a peaceful way to go.” (End of Life Choices, CA)

https://endoflifechoicesca.org/end-of-life-options/vsed-voluntarily-stopping-eating-and-drinking/

https://www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(23)00565-1/fulltext

If you choose Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED), I can help you coordinate with your medical care team and craft a plan for the final weeks or days before leaving this life.