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End of Life Doula

End of Life Planning and Care for the Dying and Their Loved Ones

What is an End of Life Doula?

End of life doulas (also known as death doulas) help to meet the needs of a dying person, their family, friends, and caregivers by offering non-medical, practical, emotional, and spiritual support. They guide people in exploring meaning, creating legacy projects, and planning for the last days of life. Doulas also provide information to help understand the nature of the dying process and support loved ones in the early stages of grief.

How I Can Support You:

End of Life Planning

  • Assist with preparing advance directives.

  • Life review to reflect back on the life lived and facilitate exploration of meaning to help the client fully appreciate the richness of their life and impact they’ve had on others. This can lead to the creation of a legacy project that can be left for loved ones. Some examples of legacy projects are a memory book or box, collage, letter writing, audio interviews, videos, scroll, or anything we may come up with together.

  • Vigil planning to help the client create what they want their last days to look, feel, smell, and sound like. This includes the space and atmosphere of the room, and the nature of interactions.

  • Discuss funeral options, living funeral, celebration of life, disposition of remains, and planning after death rituals (ex. lighting a candle, bathing and dressing the body, reading a poem, or singing a song.)

Day-to-Day Support

  • Companionship

  • Light housework

  • Respite care for caregivers

  • Helping to ease symptoms of pain, anxiety, and anticipatory grief with guided meditation, gentle massage of hands and feet, Reiki (I am a certified Reiki level II practitioner), aromatherapy, and sound healing.

Vigil Support

  • Bedside care, holding space for the kind of experience the dying person envisioned.

  • Providing emotional, spiritual, and practical support along with respite for caregivers through the last days of life either at the home or at an inpatient setting.

  • Utilizing any of the techniques mentioned above to help ease pain and anxiety. Provide information to the loved ones to help them understand the nature of the dying process.

Grief Support

  • Early grief support available for the family and loved ones immediately after the death. Approximately 4-8 weeks after the death, the doula can meet with the family and loved ones to reprocess the experience and provide additional grief support and resources.

Fees

  • Initial Consultation - A complimentary consultation up to one hour in length to review services in more detail, learn how I can support you in your journey, and see if I would be a good fit for you. This can be done in person or over Zoom.

  • Pricing is available on a sliding scale. Please contact me for more information. All services include email and phone support. Typical sessions range from 2-4 hours and may include some or all of the support listed above based on the client’s needs. Unfortunately, at this time insurance is not accepted.

  • I am able to work with 1-2 clients at a time, but exceptions may be made depending on the needs of each individual. If I’m not available to support you, I personally know a few other wonderful doulas in the Austin area I can refer you to.

  • Services are offered in Austin, Texas. I support clients of all backgrounds, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or religious affiliation.

My Doula Journey

I found my way to becoming an end-of-life doula a few years after my husband and partner of 23 years passed away from pancreatic cancer. We were so hopeful for a cure and in denial about his death that he ended up going on hospice care only two days before he passed. Still I’m beyond grateful that he was able to die peacefully at home. Reflecting back on that time though I feel there were ways we could have made those last weeks and days more comforting, meaningful, and sacred all while maintaining hope for his future. I believe now it’s better to plan for your death, just like you would plan for any other major event in your life. At the time of my husband’s death in 2017, I had not heard of an end-of-life doula. It was about two years later when I first heard the term and was completely intrigued. I began reading more about the role of a death doula and as I learned more, I started to feel the calling to become one. I researched trainings and in 2020, on the anniversary of my husband’s death (deathiversary), I completed my doula training with INELDA (International End-of-Life Doula Association). My intention is to inform and guide the dying and their loved ones to help them create the end of life they want.