We do need to get the word out about what end-of-life doula care can provide for millions of Americans approaching their golden years (and all ages). Dying is the primary, temporal landmark of our lives. It is a great achievement and blessing if it is anticipated and prepared for. There are no do-overs. Too many hospice providers have entered the industry for the wrong reasons and ARE NOT GETTING THE ACT OF DYING RIGHT.
It would be advantageous to officially incorporate this specialized doula service into the Medicare/Medicaid benefit that pays for hospice care or consumers can hire a doula independently in addition to a hospice provider.
However, hospice consumers need to be careful when choosing an end-of-life doula. There are a lot of startup training programs that are not professionally certified. Which means their training is not recognized by the International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA). Go to their website for the national training programs and how to hire doulas.
The doula movement has made great stategic and organizational strides in the last few years and has trained more than 3,000 individuals through INELDA.
Doulas can enhance the work of the hospice interdisciplinary teams. Their training is more comprehensive than that of our beloved volunteers that we also depend heavily on. Each discipline has their place.
Professional chaplains have a divinity or a graduate degree in theology on which two years of clinical pastoral training and spiritual formation is added. Salary compensation to the hospice team from hospice companies should be commensurate to the professional degrees and experience of the hospice team: RNs, Chaplains, SWs, and CNAs. As it stands, their reimbursement is not equitable. Salaries to doulas would be in-line with their training.
In my newly-released book of October, 2023 by MBG in NYC, I tell stories of what a good death looks like and what a bad death looks like when I worked as a chaplain for a hospice owned by a private equity firm from NYC. That ownership often harmed patients, their families, and members of our staff.
As corporate hospice providers struggle to balance generating wealth with placing their dying patients as their primary stakeholders, the doula movement could help us return to what the original mission of hospice was designed to be: to help dying patients enjoy a quality of life during a terminal illness and ensure a comfortable dying process through timely and aggressive palliative treatment.
In my book, I also educate consumers on the national doula training programs, and the differences between the jobs of a chaplain, social worker, volunteer, and the role of a doula.
“Surviving Hospice: A Chaplain’s Journey Into the Business of Dying” has been seen on CBS, NBC, and FOX. It’s garnering five-star reviews on Amazon and on its way to best-seller status. On sale there, at Barnes & Noble, and on my website:www.hospicehelppro.com.
#INELDA #deathdoula #hospicecare #NIA
Thank you, Sherrie Dulworth for your great piece in the Boston Globe Media on the support that end-of-life doulas give. Appreciate your mention of INELDA and these 3 wonderful doulas: Janie Rakow, Holly Strelzik, and Karen Bellone
https://lnkd.in/eqiT5-86
![What is a good death? - The Boston Globe]()
What is a good death? - The Boston Globe
bostonglobe.com
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1moEman El-Kabli What a great turnout!! Fantastic job!!