The Council’s inaugural meeting took place April 25 in Washington, DC to define the Council’s purpose and design activities that will serve its mission.
End-of-life Doulas (EOLDs) are caregivers who offer non-medical, holistic support and comfort to dying people and their families. Services are varied to meet individual needs and requirements, and may include education and guidance, as well as emotional, spiritual or practical care.
NHPCO hopes to involve its membership in the long-range goal of incorporating EOLDs into care delivery, either as agency staff, specially trained volunteers, or as independent contractors engaged by families. EOLDs enrich the experience for patients, family members and friends, and strengthen the relationship between medical and nonmedical end-of-life support.
The Council plans to evaluate the efficacy of EOLD collaboration with hospice services by conducting research to establish best practices for the future.
Founding members of the Council include:
- Deanna Cochran, Council Chair
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, and Quality of Life Care, Austin, TX - Henry Fersko-Weiss, Council Vice Chair
International End-of-Life Doula Association, Wyckoff, NJ - Patty Burgess
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, and Teaching Transitions and Doing Death Differently, Bensalem, PA - Tarron Estes
National End of Life Doula Alliance, and Conscious Dying Institute, Boulder, CO - Suzanne O’Brien
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, and Doula Givers , New York, NY - Merilynne Rush
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, President, and Lifespan Doula Association, Ann Arbor, MI - Lee Webster
National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, President ex officio, and the National Home Funeral Alliance, Holderness, NH.
Learn about NHPCO’s Councils and Committees.
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