WHAT IS A CERTIFIED END OF LIFE DOULA PRACTITIONER?
A Certified End of Life Doula Practitioner is a non-medical person trained to care for someone holistically (physically, emotionally and spiritually) at the end of life. End of Life Doulas are also known around the world as: End of life coaches, soul midwives, transition guides, death coaches, death doulas, doula to the dying, end of life doulas, death midwives, and end of life guides. Due to the enormous number of the elder population, there is an overwhelming need for these services and support. Finding the right teacher and training program is one of the most important decisions you will make.
End of Life Doula Practitioners Certification Course. This course is for those who want to be End of life Doulas as a profession or to be highly educated to be of serves in their communities. End of Life Doulas are being used as adjuncts to Hospices, working in nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies, long-term care facilities and in private homes. Our Doulagiver Doulas are specially trained non-medical health care professionals, many of whom are nurses, social workers, ministers, certified nurse’s assistants, wellness practitioners, and those with a strong “calling” to help others at the end of life. In the Doulagivers program, Doulas are thoroughly trained in all three phases of End of Life Care. The 3 Phases consist of:
1)The Shock Phase
2) The Stabilization Phase 3) The Transition Phase
Certified End of Life Doula Practitioners are trained in all ways to support someone from the time of a terminal diagnosis all the way through, until after a person dies and helping a family to “re- enter” life after loss. Based on their extensive training, the Doulas offer suggestions for comfort to the patient and family. They provide support to the family and patient during all 3 phases of end of life, offer the latest options for care and EOL (End of Life) planning and help with creating sacred rituals as well as support in grief, bereavement and recovery. They are not home health aides; rather, they are professionals who guide and support the family and patient through their entire end of life journey.
Why this is so important: As a society, we have strayed away from the fundamental sense of community during End of Life. It is with heavy hearts that we must come to grips with the fact that End of Life Care has become a very complicated and one that does not nearly have enough support for both patients and their loved ones. Rather than focus on what is best for someone at this very emotional and difficult time, most current options focus on quantity regardless of quality of life. This is not always the best decision. This is also a descicion that each person should make for themselves by doing what is called an Advance Directive. The fear and stigma surrounding death has caused too many people to endure unnecessary suffering because they equate this natural process to “giving up.” This is far from the truth. We all, as humans, will eventually pass on from the physical world we know. Although this can seem distressful, it is just as natural as bringing in a new life. Why do we celebrate one
and not the other? A life can never be complete without death, and for this reason, should be treated as a time to mend relationships and focus on positive experiences and memories we have shared with a person as they near their final hours. By becoming a Certified End of Life Doula Practitioner, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to assist a person and their family through this time in their lives, in order to create the most positive passing possible for all involved. By being a strong support system and a voice of calm, you can have a profound effect on the perception of end of life. By providing a patient with the ability to leave this world in peace, with dignity and identity intact, you are truly reviving a lost communal service. You will even change the lives of those left behind after a death as you help them readjust to life after loss. We hope that this program will allow for a ripple effect to take place amongst our communities so that one day every single human being can be afforded the opportunity to pass away stress, pain and guilt free. This is a time for families, friends and neighbors to join together and celebrate the life of a near death individual, as well as to reconnect with their own mortality and perhaps plan ahead for their future or discover new ways to make every day, hour, minute, and second they have count. End of life will never be easy, but it’s not supposed to be. Remember that life is a journey, not a destination… and it is a journey we should all share together, with pride, love and compassion.
“With the right kindness, education and support, End of Life can be the sacred experience it was meant to be.”- Suzanne B. O’Brien RN
Please visit doulagivers.com for information on all trainings
