The End-Of-Life Doula Movement
by Barbara Karnes, RN
I started as a hospice nurse in 1981 after spending several years trying to learn how to care for people who were dying. There just wasn't any material about end of life. People generally died in the hospital, in a private room at the end of the hall, alone. No one was there, no one saw how death came. If and when a person was in their home, dying with family present, the family brought their own fears and misconceptions about death and generally just had "horror" stories to tell about what happened when Dad died. Hospice was the "new kid" on the block saying, "We can support, comfort, and guide people and their families as the end of life approaches. No one needs to be alone anymore during this life moment."
It was from my experience being a hospice nurse, whose goal was to be with the patient and family during the months, weeks, days, hours, and then at the moment of death, that I began to actually learn about how people die.
Read more...
by Barbara Karnes, RN
I started as a hospice nurse in 1981 after spending several years trying to learn how to care for people who were dying. There just wasn't any material about end of life. People generally died in the hospital, in a private room at the end of the hall, alone. No one was there, no one saw how death came. If and when a person was in their home, dying with family present, the family brought their own fears and misconceptions about death and generally just had "horror" stories to tell about what happened when Dad died. Hospice was the "new kid" on the block saying, "We can support, comfort, and guide people and their families as the end of life approaches. No one needs to be alone anymore during this life moment."
It was from my experience being a hospice nurse, whose goal was to be with the patient and family during the months, weeks, days, hours, and then at the moment of death, that I began to actually learn about how people die.
Read more...
Courtesy of Amanda Carr
At The Ready: How End-of-Life Doulas Can Support Hospices
by Lee Webster with Merilynne Rush, Suzanne O'Brien, Patty Burgess, and Deanna Cochran
Anyone who has experienced care of a dying loved one can probably recall a moment when the prospect seemed overwhelming. Sometimes this is small things—wondering when to squeeze in a quick trip to the store, or to simply take a shower. Other times it is much bigger. Am I doing the right thing? Are we tending to what’s important or just getting by? How can I balance all my roles as caregiver, mate, parent, worker, partner?
Imagine being the patient who may be grappling with fears of all sorts—fear of being in pain, being a burden, being unable or afraid to express needs that go beyond those being met by medical personnel. Or the patient who wishes for a conscious, intentional experience, who seeks companionship and guidance on the journey. To them, and to all of us, it becomes not just about the fact that we die, but how that matters. Read more...
by Lee Webster with Merilynne Rush, Suzanne O'Brien, Patty Burgess, and Deanna Cochran
Anyone who has experienced care of a dying loved one can probably recall a moment when the prospect seemed overwhelming. Sometimes this is small things—wondering when to squeeze in a quick trip to the store, or to simply take a shower. Other times it is much bigger. Am I doing the right thing? Are we tending to what’s important or just getting by? How can I balance all my roles as caregiver, mate, parent, worker, partner?
Imagine being the patient who may be grappling with fears of all sorts—fear of being in pain, being a burden, being unable or afraid to express needs that go beyond those being met by medical personnel. Or the patient who wishes for a conscious, intentional experience, who seeks companionship and guidance on the journey. To them, and to all of us, it becomes not just about the fact that we die, but how that matters. Read more...