by Kay Bidwell | Jun 7, 2018 | Caregiving, end of life
An End-of Life (EOL) Doula.. also known as a death doula, provides comfort and support to a dying person and his or her loved ones. The term doula has long been used to describe a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and after childbirth. End-of-Life (EOL) Doulas are non-medical people trained to share resource information, education and companionship with those nearing the end of life. As a birth doula helps usher a child into the world, an end-of-life (EOL) doula helps usher individuals out of the world. In earlier times, most people died at home, surrounded by loved ones. With the advance of western medicine came the move to increased hospitalization and nursing home care. Although most people would prefer to die at home, many will die in hospitals or nursing homes. Today there is a cultural shift underway that is returning us to more natural death and dying at home. Folks near the end of life are reimagining what death can look like for themselves and their families. Doulas work with Hospice providers Far from replacing hospice care or medical support, EOL doulas work with other providers to complement their efforts. All wish to achieve the best possible death for the client. Therefore, EOL doulas focus on being present for the dying and filling gaps in the hospice and medical care support systems. While hospice workers focus primarily on the physical needs of the dying, there is strong recognition among them that pain management is not enough. The spirit must be attended to as well as the body. ...
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