Death doulas could lead end-of-life care
Hospice and palliative care can only do so much. Doulas—non-medical, community based practitioners—could have a central role in demedicalising and deinstitutionalising dying to help people navigate the holistic care they need at the end of life, writes Marian Krawczyk More people are ageing and dying than ever before. Hospice and palliative care services alone cannot meet the increasing complexities of ageing and dying in the global north.12 We need new ways to support people who are approaching death. End-of-life doulas could have a key role in creating community-led supports, including cooperative end-of-life care networks. End-of-life doulas, or death doulas or death midwives, offer non-medical, holistic support to people with serious or terminal illness and their loved ones, including education, guidance, and practical, emotional, and sometimes spiritual assistance.3 Support might include after-death care of the body and funeral planning education or services, along with bereavemen
