What Does a Death Doula Do? A Death Doula provides non-judgmental/non-medical emotional and physical support, education about the dying process, prepares you for death, and offers guidance and coaching during your times of grief. A Death Doula provides an opportunity to talk about the dying process, helps to alleviate shame/guilt often felt after receiving a terminal diagnosis, allows the client autonomy in aiding with planning your death environment, coordinates visitation, oversees care in conjunction with hospice, provides education and guidance regarding medical decisions for end of life care, creates and performs guided meditations, assists with vigil sitting, assists with eulogy/funeral services/obituaries, provides companionship and grief support, and creates legacy projects with those who are dying.
Hiring a Death Doula is a personal decision that should be discussed with family and friends, like any other end of life decision. A Death Doula can take care of someone during the end of their life and takes time to decide what is most important to the client during that time.
By offering grief support and grief coaching, a death doula can help move their client from the early stages of grief, through to gratitude, and the doula is able to help the client feel grateful and thankful for their life. By processing the early stage of grief, a client then sees the bigger perspective and views on life. It helps the client to come to peace in body, mind and spirit.
A death doula can bring about peace of mind, can help during times of despair, offers heart-centered care, is an advocate for the vulnerable, and offers spiritual/emotional support to the dying and their loved ones.