What is an end of life doula?

An end of life doula, also known as a death doula, is a non-medical support role that complements other services a patient and their loved ones may be receiving, like hospice or palliative care. Offering a range of holistic and complementary services, end of life doulas are able to provide emotional and practical support to clients and their loved ones.

Borrowing from the International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA) literature, the following are the ways doulas serve their clients and support networks:

• Provide the opportunity to speak openly and frankly about dying
• Talk about creating an advance care directive
• Explore the meaning of the dying person’s life and legacy
• Discuss and support end-of-life care planning
• Develop a plan for how the space looks, feels and sounds
• Incorporate traditions or create new rituals to mark special moments
• Encourage appropriate ways of touching the dying person
• Bring a focused and intuitive presence to the bedside
• Assist with physical and practical care to ease the burden on caregivers
• Provide respite for exhausted caregivers
• Explain the signs and symptoms of the dying process
• Process the emotions and experiences with loved ones
• Support the spiritual practices of all involved
• Guide people through the early stages of grieving

What is the difference between what hospice provides and the services of an end of life doula?

Hospice is an invaluable program, and doulas are a wonderful complement to hospice services. Hospice teams provide holistic support in the form of a primary nurse, home health aide, social worker, chaplain, and volunteer. Hospice is typically provided as a Medicare and/or Medicaid benefit. However, the allocated time for hospice team members in the home is notably limited.

Doulas seamlessly integrate into the hospice framework, extending additional time and non-medical assistance to clients and their loved ones. Beyond this, doulas offer an expansive range of services, including designing a tranquil home environment for the final chapter, organizing vigils, facilitating legacy projects, and providing post-death education, among others.

A significant distinction between hospice and doulas lies in their eligibility criteria. While hospice requires a prognosis of six months or less, doulas can engage with individuals at any stage of their life.

Do I have to be residing at home to work with a doula?

No; doulas can provide support anywhere a patient resides. This often includes but is not limited to assisted living facilities, nursing homes, hospice care facilities, or hospitals. Your Village Doulas will tailor services to the physical location and ensure that all stakeholders understand the purpose and boundaries of their services.

I am the primary caregiver to someone who is terminally ill. They are not interested in end of life doula services but I need support. How can you help?

We are deeply committed to offering individualized support to primary caregivers. Caregiver support involves providing guidance, respite, and education to individuals who are responsible for caring for others.

The goal of caregiver support is to empower caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to effectively fulfill their caregiving roles while also maintaining their own well-being. Areas of compassionate support can include, but are not limited, to: practical caregiving skills, emotional support, communication skills, self-care, and problem-solving and decision making. Most of our team have served as the primary caregiver to a terminally ill family member and have powerful lived experience to guide this practice.

Do I need a terminal prognosis to work with an end-of-life doula?

No. In fact, we believe that all adults, including those in good health, would be well served to work with an end of life doula. So much of what doulas do is help people contemplate and plan for their wishes at life’s end.

Planning for the end of life is an opportunity to live a fuller and more peaceful life. When you are explicit about wishes and take care of administrative tasks, the focus of your remaining time with a loved one shifts to what matters most. This proactive approach not only adds individual peace of mind, but also serves as a profound gift to loved ones, sparing them uncertainty, stress or last-minute scrambling to decipher wishes and tying up loose ends.

Do you offer virtual support?

Yes, we can provide support in-person, virtually or over the phone. Often we provide a mix based upon the needs of the client. 

We offer in-person services within the Greater Boston Area.

Do you work with individuals as well as communities?

At Your Village Doulas, we provide support to individuals and their care circles as they navigate the complex, emotional, and often transformative experiences of death and dying. Whether someone is approaching the end of life, grieving a loss, or simply seeking a deeper understanding of mortality, we are here to offer presence, guidance, and care.

In addition to one-on-one and family support, we engage with groups and communities by offering public education and dialogue through a range of events. These include film screenings, community conversations, ritual practices, and other creative, information-rich gatherings. Our goal is to help normalize conversations about death, foster meaningful connection, and create spaces for shared learning and healing.

We welcome invitations to collaborate with community centers, libraries, spiritual communities, schools, and other public spaces.

Do you provide additional services like massage, reiki or music therapy?

Yes. Some members of our team are trained in complementary healing practices. If there are services that a client requests that we don’t provide but we think would be beneficial, we would be happy to provide referrals to a robust network of service providers.

Do doulas provide legal advice or file paperwork related to estate or advance care planning?

None of the doulas in this practice are licensed attorneys, estate planners, financial planners, geriatric care managers, or social workers. Your Village Doulas are available to provide support, guidance and tools as you navigate the overwhelming number of end of life decisions and related tasks. Doulas can help clients and their families identify and assemble the needed documents in preparation for conversations with legal professionals. Working with a doula does not replace the need for legal council.

All doulas carry limited liability insurance.