The History of Death Doulas Part III: From home to hospital

This is the third and last part of the three part blog series, The History of Death Doulas, by Catherine Durkin Robinson. You can read the first part here and the second part here.

Shifting Attitudes About Death

How did we get from home-based death care to a more medical one? The emergence of hospitals in the 20th century significantly changed how society viewed and experienced death in several important ways.

For example, there was a notable shift in where people died. Before this period, death typically occurred at home, surrounded by family and community members. The advent of hospitals led to more deaths occurring in institutional settings, away from the familiarity and comfort of home.

This also contributed to the medicalization of death, wherein dying became increasingly seen as a medical event rather than a natural process. Healthcare professionals, particularly doctors, assumed primary responsibility – as opposed to the women before them – for managing end-of-life care and decision-making.

Hospitals also created a physical and emotional separation between the living and the dying. Death, which was once an integral part of daily life, became somewhat removed from the everyday experiences of families and communities.

Death Doulas and Hospice: A Partnership

Thanks to hospice and the emerging death positive/death literacy movement, there is a new shift to move death from the hospital back to the home.

This allows a return of personalized and intimate care that families have traditionally provided. More of us reject the role of being an object of medical treatment, instead choosing holistic care that addresses emotional and spiritual needs.

Hospitals, driven by the ethos of curing illnesses, often prioritize curative treatments over comfort care for terminally ill patients. This focus on medical intervention sometimes results in prolonged suffering and limited discussions about end-of-life wishes and palliative care.

Doulas and hospice care providers can help the dying to live longer lives because they are kept comfortable and doing the things that bring them joy. As a result, suffering is reduced and many of our clients enjoy their final days more than they otherwise would.

Catherine Durkin Robinson is an end-of-life doula and educator at Anitya Doula Services in Chicago and a 2023 Global Doula Project grant recipient . Contact her at www.anityadoulaservices.org if you need support for yourself and your loved ones.

The transition back to home deaths also has profound implications for how loved ones experience grief and bereavement. As doulas, we provide needed rituals that allow for individualized grieving processes. This can increase feelings of connection and empowerment among families and loved ones during the hardest moments of their lives.

Overall, death doulas, hospice organizations, care teams, and many other professionals are playing a pivotal role in reshaping societal attitudes toward death. Together we are transforming it into a more patient-centered and sacred event.

The Global Doula Project is a nonprofit organization working for a world where every family receives loving, nonjudgmental support at the beginning and end of life. By providing scholarships and funding for doula organizations, we aim to remove financial barriers that may hinder families from receiving the support they deserve.