The History of Death Doulas Part II: The hospice movement
The hospice movement has had a global impact, with organizations and hospice services established in many countries. However, access to hospice and palliative care remains uneven across different regions due to healthcare disparities and varying cultural attitudes towards death and dying.
Death doulas operate within these diverse cultural contexts quite well. We adapt our services to meet the unique needs and preferences of our clients and their inner circles. This cultural sensitivity contributes to the evolution of our role and its acceptance in various communities, especially the marginalized.
The History of Death Doulas: Emergence and Training
As a practicing death doula, I don’t see my role as a guide. I’m not there to fix anything. Rather, I’m hired to educate care teams and support a peaceful and meaningful transition, focusing on my client’s emotional and spiritual needs. I often tell them I cannot promise anything, except they’re not alone.
Why are death doulas so important?
By actively listening and understanding my client’s needs, I help them prepare mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for the inevitable, creating end-of-life rituals and facilitating important conversations with loved ones and doctors.
How death doulas support the dying and their families too
But death doulas offer much more than a calm presence and a helping hand with funeral arrangements. They support the dying by making sure their voices are heard and their wishes are honored. They support the family by educating on the dying process, creating a plan for the moment of death (also called vigil planning), and facilitating much needed conversations between family members.
End-of-Life Doulas are there to walk you home
My job is to help the dying person figure out how they want to experience death and how they wish to allow others to experience their death.