What is a death doula?
A death doula, death midwife, death companion, or soul midwife provides non-medical support for those who are dying and their caregivers.
Why hire an end-of-life doula when hospice is available?
Hospice provides medical care and support. Death doulas do not.
By working with both hospice and a death doula, families experience comprehensive, holistic care.
What is it like to have a death doula?
You will have a guide through what are often, for many families, the uncharted waters of death and grief. Every family has unique needs; end-of-life care is not cookie-cutter.
Where can death doulas serve?
Death doulas can provide support in many places. Home is often where they serve. COVID protocol may affect where an end-of-life companion may serve. In cases where in-person support is limited or unavailable, death doulas often offer virtual support.
When should I hire a death doula?
You may hire a death doula anytime! Even if you are not terminally ill, a doula can help you with advance planning. Many people hire a death doula when a terminal diagnosis is reached, but many may also seek a doula’s assistance even as far into the dying process as weeks or even days from death.
How are death doulas certified?
Currently, there is no over-arching entity that certifies death doulas, although individual programs offer their own certifications through their training programs.
I was trained by death midwife and activist Narinder Elizabeth Bazen through her Nine Keys Death Midwifery Apprenticeship.