What is it?
A death doula is a midwife who assists in the dying process. They sit with the terminally ill patients and help them with their will and advance directives. A death doula service can range from pre-planning to after death body care. The main goal of death doulas is to assist patients and their families in creating peaceful, personal, and special end of life transitions.
How do they help?
Death is a hard and difficult process that most families tend to avoid. This leads families to be unprepared, so death doulas can help families to come together and prepare. When death is involved, all family members tend to be very emotional and try to avoid the delicate conversations. The death doula helps families have these open conversations to ensure that nothing is left unsaid. Having these conversations allows the dying patient to feel peace and also gives the family members a sense of closure. The death doulas take some of the workload of the death experience off the family, allowing all of the family members to be fully present during their loved one’s final days. Some tasks the death doula might handle include; end of life paperwork, working with patients to create an end of life plan, offering companionship, and helping patients complete projects to leave behind like writing letters, scrapbooking or recording video messages.
Choosing a Death Doula and the Price
When choosing a death doula your main focus should be if the death doula is a personal fit. Both the patient and family members should be comfortable and trusting of their death doula to obtain the most benefits from the experience. The National End of Life Doula Alliances provides a list of certified death doulas which can help you find a death doula near you. A death doula cost varies depending on the person some may charge hourly while others may charge a flat fee. The hourly rate can range from $25-100 dollars. When searching for a death doula ensure that the doula is a personal fit and that their cost works for you. Interview different doulas and ask questions to ensure that the death doula can meet your needs.
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By: Cindy Birrueta
Office Support Specialist at WellPath Partners
Health Care Administration Student, California State University, Long Beach
