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Doulas to Accompany the Dying

October 03, 2002

I’ve been in contact with this organization, and may begin training later this month.

A doula, most often found in reference to childbirth, is a trained labor support person who provides emotional and physical support to a laboring woman and her partner. Phyllis Farley, chair of the board of the Maternity Center Association, also thinks that no one should have to die alone. So she and several of her colleagues extended the support–person concept and founded Doulas to Accompany the Dying.

Doula volunteers undergo eight and a half hours of training over a six–week period. The training covers everything from the spiritual aspects of dying to living wills to DNR orders. Once trained, doulas are assigned to patients who are identified by hospital staff as having few or no family or friends visit during their hospitalization. The program is active in several New York hospitals and nursing homes and has received inquiries about duplicating it in Houston, Milwaukee and Portland.

Source: New York Daily News via [pdf] www.iowahospice.org/news/080902%20Update.pdf

Posted October 3, 2002 05:11 PM