By Julie Randolph, Information and Access Care Coordination Manager
A doula is a trained professional who provides expert guidance to the service of others and who supports another person through a significant health related experience. The practices and professions have evolved over the years to meet the needs of cultures.
Traditional home birthing transitioned to the hospital setting during the medical advances in the 1930s. As a result, maternal mortality declined sharply between 1939 and 1948. This trend of giving birth in the hospital setting continued until the 1970s. Home births returned in popularity because of perceptions that unnecessary medical intervention methods were interfering with the mother and child’s natural course of delivery. The age-old emotional support of birthing coaches returned and gained the title of “doula”.
The current trend for a doula at the time of death began in the 1990s. Atul Gawande, in his 2014 book Being Mortal, addresses aging and dying in a culture of extraordinary medical advancements that can stop the natural process of dying. Dr. Gawande encourages early and open discussions of a person’s goals for physical and spiritual wellbeing at the end of life.
The end of life doula approach is transforming the way people experience death and dying. A doula enables someone to be more involved with conducting their own dying process. INELDA, International End of Life Doulas Association, has been established to “build a focused and intuitive presence” at the time of death. End of Life Doulas support and guide you through the dying process by providing non-medical holistic support encompassing emotional, spiritual, and practical care. Doulas help establish and honor chosen traditions, rituals, as well as preferred sights and sounds during the time of dying. Doulas can work alongside hospice services. Benefits also extend to the surviving family and friends experiencing loss. Knowing our loved one has passed away in an environment of caring and compassion provides a unique legacy and comfort.
Birth and death are the bookends of this life we are living. May we work to make both meaningful, peaceful, celebrated, and compassionate. To find the closest certified end of life doula in Michigan go to inelda.org, thedyingyear.org, or nedalliance.org. A local NEDA proficient provider, Marilyn Jensen, states “everyone is entitled to a good death that consists of peace, honor, and sacredness.” Speak with your health care providers, friends, and family to start the conversation about end of life care.
If you would like to learn more, please join us for a Lunchtime Learners presentation with on Fri, Nov 15th from 12-1 pm. This talk will offer valuable insights into the transformative power of end-of-life care. See front page side column for program details.