“Die happily and look forward to taking up a new and better form. Like the sun, only when you set in the west can you rise in the east.” ~Rumi


Also known as a death doula or death midwife, an end-of-life (EoL) doula educates and empowers clients to make end-of-life decisions. Furthermore, the death doula works to ease the transition for the dying and their loved ones by offering nonjudgmental, non-medical emotional support while attempting to fulfill the final requests of the dying. Holistic in nature, a death doula provides support that goes beyond the emotional needs of a person but also considers their physical, social, and (if desired) spiritual needs.

EoL doulas refrain from acting as a substitute or replacement for one’s hospice or other professional or familial providers; however, they often advocate regarding medical care and funeral care based on predetermined requests of the dying individual. Ultimately, they work with the terminally ill early on to create a plan of action and then set out to carry it out during any of the following times: leading up to one’s final hours, during the last hours (end of life vigil), and immediately afterward, along with burial/funeral, and/or post-funeral or burial.

One doesn’t need to be ill to work with an EoL doula. Aside from the terminally ill, death doulas also work with anyone exploring practical end-of-life solutions regardless of their health status. Depending on a client’s plan of action, here are a few services that doulas provide:

  • Advance care planning
  • Coordination of care
  • Help with legacy projects
  • Calming the terminally ill
  • Respite care for family members
  • Vigil planning and/or sitting

EoL services are frequently pre-paid, out-of-pocket expenses not typically covered by insurance. Our initial consultation is free for the first 30 minutes. In some cases, clients may opt for short (<20 hours) to long-term packages (one month or more), which start as low as $700 but could run upwards of 3,500, especially for vigil services.

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