End-of-Life Doula Packages

Specific service tasks: Coordination and navigation • Advance care planning, including organ donation • Liaise with hospice, other health care workers, and other community services (e.g. home support) • Facilitate legal paperwork in conjunction with relevant professionals (e.g. advance directives, power of attorney, estate planning) • Referral to community resources (practical, emotional, spiritual) • Organize informal care networks • Keep family members informed • Coordinate family and friend visits • Develop ‘departure directions’ including vigil planning, and/or assist in funeral coordination Emotional and spiritual support • Ask questions to understand emotions • Meaning-structured life review sessions • Discuss values and desires; spiritual beliefs • Legacy work (e.g. narrative work, assisting people to write their life stories; write/record last messages) • Talk with children • • Music therapy (e.g. singing, playing instruments, listening to favorite songs) • Generalized pre death and post death bereavement support (e.g. talking, listening, and giving resources) Death literacy and information transfer • ‘Help explain diagnosis and treatment’ (e.g. help client get needed information) • ‘Normalize end of life’; provide practical information about what to expect; and explain common signs and symptoms at the end of life • Provide practical information about basic end-of-life care for family/friends • Inform family/friends about what they can do during active dying and after death (e.g. get into bed with the person, tell stories, washing the body) • Inform about funeral options, including home funeral options (e.g. keeping and transporting the body, after-death documentation) • Communicate regional legal issues related to death care • Community work and advocacy (e.g. advance care planning workshops, death cafes, public speaking) • Informal/spontaneous conversations about end-of-life planning and care with friends, family, and community members Companionship and presence • Listen (e.g. client reminiscing) • Unstructured conversation • Read together (e.g. scripture, prayer, favorite books/poetry) • Hospital appointment accompaniment (if necessary) • Hospital/hospice in-patient visiting • Vigil (being present during the active dying phase, including talking and/or singing even if unresponsive) • Create bedside rituals (e.g. lighting a candle, blessings) Basic practical and personal care • Respite for family members • Assorted housework (e.g. helping with meals, changing sheets, hanging out with kids, shopping, dog walking) • Help toilet; emergency assistance (e.g. ‘wiping bum if needed’) • Vigil care (e.g. mouth care, repositioning in bed, changing bed sheets, applying cool compress) After-death care • Assisting with body care (e.g. washing body, ceremonial or entire cleansing) with family or by instructing family • Assist in keeping the body at home after death; assistance with after-death paperwork • Funeral attendant (if requested) • Check-in with client’s family/friends after period of time (including bereavement support) journals.sagepub.com/home/pcr