Alive for Death: Exploration of the Death Doula

Abstract

A death doula is one who holds space, supports, and helps plan for end of life care. The purpose of this hermeneutic research is to describe current palliative care models and explore an alternative practice, the Death Doula, through performative autoethnographic poetic responses to existing literature. The result will be a dialogue between current caregiving practices, care provision needs, and gaps in service of the aging and dying. Analysis of the dialogue will elicit a description of the role of a healthcare provider who acts as a death midwife, or death doula. In addition, the work will illuminate what a somatic depth psychological perspective can contribute during the sacred and spiritual aspects of the aging and dying process. The author hopes that the results of this work will add to the growing body of research and evidence that can facilitate change in the way Americans care for our aging and dying population, as called for by the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Approaching Death (Institute of Medicine, 2015). The study describes the existing gap in services for needs of those elders who once took our hand and led us through childhood into adulthood. Culturally, it seems we have forgotten the proverbial hands that rocked the cradle, leaving them to face the grave alone. Empty handed.