What is the “Doula Model of Care”?

By Patty Brennan

Adapted from THE DOULA BUSINESS GUIDE:

How to Succeed as a Birth, Postpartum or End-of-Life Doula, 4^th Edition

Throughout time and in cultures all over the world, there have always been those individuals—usually women—who care for birthing mothers and the sick and dying. Today, professional doulas are coming into the cultural mainstream. The emerging role of the end-of-life doula is gaining traction, helping to transform how we meet unmet needs at the end of life, with more men being drawn into the field.

Six Guiding Principles of the Doula Model of Care

1. Non-medical support. Doulas refrain from performing clinical care.
2. Non-judgmental support. The doula does not impose her/his values on the client. Care is based on the client’s values and goals, even if those differ from values cherished by the doula.
3. Family-centered approach. The individual and their family form the unit of care. Doulas do not take the place of partners, family members, or other care providers. Rather, they seek to support the optimal involvement of loved ones.
4. Holistic care. Doulas recognize the biopsychosocial and spiritual aspects of the whole person and provide services in the context of this understanding.
5. Doulas promote informed decision-making and foster maximum self-determination rather than dependency for the individual and family.
6. Team members. Doulas are collaborators with a special role who defer to other experts for concerns outside their scope of practice.

How Do End-of-Life Doulas Help Families?

End-of-life doulas provide a wide range of services to support the dying and their loved ones. Typically, doulas specialize in areas of personal interest and expertise, with each doula creating her/his unique practice and set of services. One doula may emphasize facilitation of advance care planning, while another becomes a home funeral guide, companion caregiver, or bedside vigiler. Both the doula and the family seeking help are encouraged to explore whether the family’s needs and the doula’s services are aligned. The following are some of the ways that doulas help families.

• Navigate tough decisions and make informed choices.
• Provide respite care to relieve caregiver burnout.
• Comfort and support the dying person.
• Facilitate advance care planning.
• Honor the dying person’s wishes.
• Create a legacy project.
• Educate loved ones about the dying process.
• Attend medical appointments with a declining person, as a witness, note taker, support person.
• Coordinate care for the death vigil.
• Support grieving family members.
• Facilitate rituals, memorials, celebrations of life.
• Provide guidance for home funerals and/or green burial.
• Provide logistical household support.
• And more!

 

Author

Patty Brennan is the owner and visionary force behind Lifespan Doulas, a doula training and certification agency for birth, postpartum, and end-of-life doulas. For 40+ years, she has been a doula, midwife, educator, author, nonprofit executive, and entrepreneur. Patty has personally trained over 3,500 people to become doulas. She is the author of The Doula Business Guide: How to Succeed as a Birth, Postpartum or End-of-Life Doula Business, 4^th Edition and The Doula Business Guide Workbook: Tools to Create a Thriving Practice, 4^th Edition