Typically, you may think a doula is there to provide assistance during childbirth. While there’s no denying the importance of this type of work, we believe there’s just as much need for assistance when one takes his or her final breath.
Here at You Are Not Alone Elder Care, we’re end-of-life doulas that are committed to helping the terminally ill face death with peace and comfort. Now, that may sound like an impossible task, but you’ll be amazed at what happens when you give someone the support they need during a very challenging time.
As such, we work with elderly people who are coming to the end of their life, and we offer the support and guidance that they can’t get anywhere else. We know that the whole idea of doulas helping the terminally ill can be confusing, so we’ve put together this blog that tells you more about what we do!
Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Care
When people are approaching death, there are so many different things that concern them. Naturally, they have physical issues that they need help with, and our team is there to assist with these. We also go one step further and give support with emotional and spiritual care too.
Needless to say, this is an emotional time for everyone involved. So, we help each patient come to terms with the idea of death, and how it’s not something to be feared. We want them to celebrate their last months, weeks, days and hours on earth. A big part of doing this involves a life review where we show patients how much they’ve impacted this world and all the things they’ve accomplished. It helps them deal with the situation and feel like they’ve genuinely achieved big things in this world that will live on after they’ve passed.
The Power of Remembrance
One of the main fears people have when they know they’re going to die is that they won’t be remembered. So, we put an end to this by empowering our clients with different tools to create remembrances that they can leave behind for years to come. These are little things like notes, letters, or even short stories that can be given to family members after their death. It’s a way of creating everlasting memories and ensuring their story is never forgotten.
Companionship, Companionship, Companionship,
There’s nothing worse than feeling as though you’re completely and utterly alone in this world. Sadly, for a lot of terminally ill patients, that’s exactly how they feel. We want to address this by offering something simple; companionship.
Our team is always there to listen to patients, make their wishes come true, and maximize their support system. You’ll be surprised at how beneficial it is to just have somebody there that you can chat with and share laughs. Small gestures like this help people get through through difficult times and approach death with a smile.
The one true thing about life is that death is inevitable. For someone that’s terminally ill, this is something they have to come to terms with very quickly. It can be hard to do, but that’s why we’re here. As doulas that specialize in end-of-life care, we do everything in our power to make death seem that little less scary and prepare patients and their families for what’s to come. If you’re interested in what we do and how we can help the terminally ill, then please feel free to get in touch with us today.