Death is an inevitable part of the human experience and is often supported by a combination of loved ones and professionals. However, dying individuals often experience a gap in care with the standard end-of-life care team. While medical needs are typically managed effectively, practical, emotional, and physical needs are often unmet or thrust onto loved ones acting as caregivers. Death doulas (also called end-of-life doulas) provide many of these missing services as part of their standard offerings. While there appears to be a gap in care team coverage and a skilled role is available to fill this need, death doulas are not being added to standard end-of-life care teams.

This leadership action research project collected insights and conclusions from end-of-life care team members describing the care that they provide. Additionally, their perceptions of death doulas as members of care teams were recorded. Doulas then reacted to the non-doula end-of-life care team perceptions and, finally, reacted to a series of recommendations for the doula profession to assist in changing the perception of their involvement in end-of-life care teams. 

This presentation offers findings and leadership strategies for the death doula profession to evolve into accepted members of typical end-of-life care teams. The purpose of this project was to identify ways to bridge the gaps in care that dying individuals experience. 

Advisor: Jeanne Bailey

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https://stkate.zoom.us/j/93321002225