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Kimberly Mann and Kim Crabill of Hospice of Southern Maine talk with Barbara Karnes about how death doulas work alongside hospice teams to support patients and families at end of life.
In this recorded conversation, Kimberly Mann and Kim Crabill of Hospice of Southern Maine speak with end-of-life educator Barbara Karnes about the role of death doulas in hospice care.
They walk through how doulas support patients and families alongside the hospice team—what they actually do, where they fit, and how this kind of collaboration can shape the end-of-life experience.
Resources discussed:
Gone From My Sight: The Dying Experience
The End of Life Guideline Series
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1 comment
Cryst'l
I love Barbara’s expertise, insight, and vision for how death doulas can be especially useful in the final hours and days before death. As a former hospice worker and current end-of-life doula, I wonder if anyone else is concerned about death doulas becoming salaried employees within hospice agencies. I worry that, as agency employees, experienced end-of-life doulas may be prohibited from serving in the fuller scope of the role due to corporate policies, productivity expectations, time constraints, and liability concerns, especially when many hospice agencies still do not fully understand the breadth of services doulas can provide beyond bedside presence in the final hours. I absolutely see value in strong hospice-doula collaboration, but I also think part of what makes doulas uniquely effective is the flexibility and autonomy to support people more holistically, without being confined to the same systems that already limit many hospice workers.
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BK Books replied:
Cryst’l, You have expressed a concern I also have. Let’s hope we can learn from the mistakes hospice has made. Blessings to you in the work you are doing. Barbara
I love Barbara’s expertise, insight, and vision for how death doulas can be especially useful in the final hours and days before death. As a former hospice worker and current end-of-life doula, I wonder if anyone else is concerned about death doulas becoming salaried employees within hospice agencies. I worry that, as agency employees, experienced end-of-life doulas may be prohibited from serving in the fuller scope of the role due to corporate policies, productivity expectations, time constraints, and liability concerns, especially when many hospice agencies still do not fully understand the breadth of services doulas can provide beyond bedside presence in the final hours. I absolutely see value in strong hospice-doula collaboration, but I also think part of what makes doulas uniquely effective is the flexibility and autonomy to support people more holistically, without being confined to the same systems that already limit many hospice workers.
———
BK Books replied:
Cryst’l, You have expressed a concern I also have. Let’s hope we can learn from the mistakes hospice has made. Blessings to you in the work you are doing. Barbara