About This Role
Supporting individuals and their families as they approach the end of life is the core of this role. The End of Life Doula provides non-medical assistance, emotional comfort, and spiritual guidance to ensure a peaceful and dignified transition. This position suits a compassionate professional dedicated to offering holistic support during a critical life stage.
Responsibilities
- Provide non-medical, non-judgmental support and guidance to patients and families/caregivers in the hospice program through times of critical, transformative life change
- Nurture, inform, support, guide, empower and comfort patients and families/caregivers
- Collaborate with other caregivers and members of the interdisciplinary group
- Provide support that is focused on, and adapted to, the unique needs and requirements of each patient/family/caregiver served
- Offer education and research services to keep loved ones informed
- Assist with handling arrangements
- Help the patient/family/caregiver reach common ground, so the end of life aligns as well as possible with their wishes
- Be present before and during the patient’s passing to provide a sense of comfort, companionship, and support
- Support the family/caregiver after their loved one has passed to ensure arrangements are in order, and everyone gets the space they deserve to grieve
- Provide logistical support, including setting up schedules for shopping, errands, pet care, child care, transportation, meal preparation, and other household tasks
- Help patients/families/caregivers get their affairs in order and saying goodbye
- Organize important information that will be needed after the death, including notifying key people and writing an obituary
- Assist with life review/legacy work
- Help planning for final disposition (e.g., burial, cremation, organ donation)
- Advocate and mediate to ensure dying person’s wishes are honored
- Provide emotional, social, spiritual support for the dying patient/family/caregivers
- Provide non-medical comfort measures for the dying person and/or family (stress reduction, music therapy, aromatherapy, reiki, healing touch)
- Provide respite, companionship, and sitting vigil
- Offer guidance for after-death care of the body
- Provide after-death support, notifications, and communication with funeral directors and others
- Create rituals or ceremonies, and memorial service planning
- Offer grief support
- Maintain records of services provided
Requirements
- Possess an End of Life Doula certificate from a training program
- Understand hospice philosophy
- Must be a licensed driver with an automobile that is insured in accordance with state/or organization requirements and is in good working order
