End-of-Life Doula Program

Just as a birth doula brings greater comfort and meaning to the process of labor and delivery, our end-of-life (EOL) Doulas will offer the same for the process of dying. Our End of Life Doulas are specially trained volunteers who will help the patient and their loved ones plan for what they envision to be a good death. They offer a compassionate presence, knowing support, caring touch, and respite for caregivers in the final days.

This innovative program helps to:

  • Explore and preserve the stories, wisdom and messages that give life meaning
  • Plan for what the patient wishes to see, hear, and feel around them in the last days
  • Create and use guided visualization and ritual for comfort and meaning
  • Give loved ones the rest they so badly need from the demands of caregiving
  • Understand the dying process and offer round the clock support
  • Ensure that the patient doesn’t die alone and that the final breaths aren’t missed
  • Offer support after the death as loved ones begin their grief process

This innovative program helps to:

  • Explore and preserve the stories, wisdom and messages that give life meaning
  • Plan for what the patient wishes to see, hear, and feel around them in the last days
  • Create and use guided visualization and ritual for comfort and meaning
  • Give loved ones the rest they so badly need from the demands of caregiving
  • Understand the dying process and offer round the clock support
  • Ensure that the patient doesn’t die alone and that the final breaths aren’t missed
  • Offer support after the death as loved ones begin their grief process

The End-of-Life Doula program at Hudson Valley Hospice is offered as an enhancement to the care and support that is provided to patients and their loved ones.