What is a death doula?

A death doula (also known as an end-of-life doula) is a non-medical professional who provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support to individuals who are dying and their loved ones. They help people navigate the end-of-life process with dignity, comfort, and a sense of peace.

What Does a Death Doula Do?

A death doula's role varies depending on the needs of the person and their family, but their services can include:

• Emotional & Spiritual Support: Providing a compassionate presence, holding space for conversations about death, and helping ease anxiety or fear.

• Advance Care Planning: Assisting with end-of-life wishes, including creating advance directives, legacy projects, and funeral planning.

• Family & Caregiver Support: Helping loved ones cope with grief, facilitating difficult discussions, and offering respite care.

• Vigil & Presence at Death: Offering continuous support in the final hours or days, creating a peaceful atmosphere, and ensuring the dying person’s wishes are respected.

• Post-Death Assistance: Helping with rituals, supporting the family through early grief, and offering guidance on practical matters.

How Is a Death Doula Different from Hospice?

• Hospice care is a medical service that provides palliative care to the dying, usually in their final months.

• Death doulas do not provide medical care but instead offer holistic, personalised support that complements hospice services.

Death doulas are becoming more recognised as part of a growing movement to make death a more conscious, peaceful, and less clinical experience.