When a loved one is dying, it can be overwhelming for family, friends and the person who is dying. From organizing hospice care, to intense emotions and grief, there is a lot to navigate when someone is nearing the end of their life. This has lead many assembling teams of professionals to assist at the end of their life. These teams include caregivers, attorneys, financial advisors, professional fiduciaries, doctors, nurses and more. Now, a new role has emerged. Death doulas.
What is a death doula?
A death doula or end-of-life doula is a person who can guide another person or their loved ones through the process of dying. Death doulas offer a more holistic approach to dying than many of the other professionals listed above. They provide emotional support, education about hospice or palliative care, spiritual guidance, advocacy and other general support. They may assist in making funeral arrangements or recording and making sure final wishes are carried out. Death douals lead prayer and meditation sessions and facilitate conversations amongst family members who are struggling to accept a loved ones death. The role of a death doula can vary from doula to doula and from family to family. They can cater to the spiritual, emotional and advocacy needs of the person who is dying and their families.
What does a death doula not do?
While a death doula can be helpful, there are certain roles that they do not fill. For example, they are not medical professionals, nor do they offer the same services as hospice nurses. Further, they do not have the authority to make medical or financial decisions around end-of-life care.
If a person who is dying has an agent under a valid healthcare power of attorney or a guardian appointed by the court, that agent or guardian will be the one making end-of-life medical decisions. While the death doula may assist in facilitating these conversations or relaying someone’s final wishes to their agent or guardian, the death doula themselves cannot make the final call or decision on the dying person’s behalf. Similarly, if a person who is dying has an agent under a durable financial power of attorney or a conservator appointed by the court, that agent or conservator will be responsible for financial decisions for the person who is dying.
Where do I find a death doula?
If you haven’t heard of death doulas before, that’s likely because they are only recently gaining in popularity. According to US Funerals Online, membership in the International End of Life Doula Alliance (INELDA) grew from approximately 260 in 2019 to over 1,600 in 2024.
If this sounds like something you are interested in, you could start at one of the training organizations like INELDA, or the National End of Life Doula Alliance (NEDA). There is a directory of doulas both the INELDA website and the NEDA website that you can filter by location. INELDA also offers informational sessions for anyone interested in hiring a Doula. These sessions include information about when the right time to engage them is, the services they provide and the cost.
