death | Peaceful Decisions

Tag: death

What is a death doula?

What is a death doula?
A death doula (end-of-life doula) is someone who provides companionship, comfort, and guidance to those planning for death, diagnosed with a terminal illness, or facing imminent death. Doulas offer nonmedical holistic support encompassing emotional, spiritual, and practical care. Doulas offer resources to help the dying person and their circle of care to make informed decisions in a supportive environment.

Why should you consider one?
Doulas normalize deathcare by creating spaces to hold conversations leading to increased communication and increased spiritual and emotional well-being. When individuals plan for death, they have autonomy over their decisions and are able to clearly define their end-of-life wishes with family and loved ones. While there are alternative names for end-of-life doulas like death doula, death midwife, death coach, end-of-life coach—we all seek to provide compassionate deathcare.

What are the most requested demands of a Death doula?
Individual doulas offer different options depending upon their expertise and practice. Following are many of the options offered.

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

Who are you advising people to reach?

INELDA: International End of Life Doula Association
https://inelda.org/find-a-doula/#:~:text=201%2D540%2D9049%20%E2%80%A2%20info@inelda.org

NEDA: National End of Life Doula Alliance
https://www.nedalliance.org/neda_members_by_name.html

death, death doula

A Death Has Occurred

Posted in Resources.

When a death occurs, the emotional shock can impact your behavior. The following information is meant to offer guidance on what to do in a variety of situations. If the funeral home is known, contact them as they will be a resource for you. The selected funeral home will coordinate with all involved parties to transport your loved one from the place of death to their facility.

Death in a medical facility
The majority of deaths occur in a medical facility (hospital, nursing home, hospice). At the time, the staff will need to know the family’s selected funeral home; you will either be directed to contact the funeral home or the staff will call them on your behalf. The funeral director should speak to a family member to obtain permission to transport the deceased to their facility.

Death at home
If a patient dies at home and is under hospice care, the first step is to contact the hospice team to inform them of the death. The hospice staff will initiate the process to pronounce the death and make arrangements with your selected funeral home to take your loved one into their care.

When a patient dies at home (not under the care of hospice), first call 911 for assistance. The dispatcher will send first responders to provide guidance during this acute situation.

There are times when the Medical Examiner or Coroner may be alerted to the death. In most cases, the ME/Coroner will communicate with the family and update the selected funeral home when the examination is completed.

advance directives, Baby boomers, death, Death planning, durable power of attorney, End-of-life planning, Estate planning, Funeral planning, hospice, Legacy planning, living will, palliative care