Growing the EOLD Profession Survey

I believe the end-of-life doula profession is here to stay. However, I think it will continue to change and develop, and every EOLD practice will look different. There are too many variables for a one-size-fits-all practice model. Different communities and populations need different services, and different EOLDs have different strengths and skills they want to offer. In addition, the fact that we do not have an agreed upon definition or set of standards makes it difficult to educate the public about EOLDs so that they can be utilized. How do we fix all this? I don’t know, but I have some ideas. What do you think? Take the short survey here and receive the article "Full Moon Funeral" for free!
 
I recommend that doulas start by offering services that are already known about and in demand. In my experience, I have found that people want these things:

1. Assistance with Advance Care Planning; they may not call it that, but they want to plan ahead and get their affairs in order.
2. Information about funeral and burial options; this most often comes in the form of a question about “green funeral,” which is confusing, but can be parsed out into a request to learn about home funeral and/or green burial.
3. Personal care; families who are newly caring for a dying loved one need assistance with very practical matters like keeping the person clean and dry. We simply aren’t familiar with how to change briefs, or help someone get dressed (or the caregiver is physically unable to do these things). If the person is in hospice care, the aide can come up to three times a week, but either this is not enough, or the person is not yet in hospice care.
4. Sorting, cleaning, decluttering

Are you willing to put yourself out there as an ACP facilitator or learn home health aide skills so as to be marketable? It might not be your favorite thing to do, but it is a means to begin to serve people in ways they know about, are needing, and are seeking. I believe that the “softer,” more intimate aspects of doula care that we so love to do, such as provide companionship, talk about spirituality or reconciliation, or sit vigil at the bedside, are difficult to market (for lack of a better word). They require a getting-to-know-you period in which a trusting relationship is built. It might be helpful to look at these services as the end result, not the starting point in your doula work.
 
For example, I see a lot of students entering the profession because they are interested in sitting bedside and vigiling during active dying. But how realistic is it that a family will be comfortable inviting a stranger in to such a profound, emotional and private setting? If this is one of the aspects of doula work that draws you, you may need to become known in your community through offering other services.
 
I’d love to know your thoughts. Please fill out this short survey for anyone interested in EOLD work (aspiring or experienced). How do you feel about what I have said? What services do you (want to) offer? Everyone who submits their responses will receive a complimentary copy of an essay I wrote entitled “Full Moon Funeral,” about the first home funeral I attended in 2009. Thank you so much — I can’t wait to hear from you! 

Join us every Wednesdays at 12 pm Eastern/9 am Pacific for discussion from other EOLDs. Register here to receive the link.