What services and support will hospice provide for me after my loved one has died? What does the End of Life Doula provide for grief support?

Most hospice teams leave a case after the patient has died. Many times families are feeling this as another loss. Hospice does offer bereavement services for up to a year or 15 months in most states. This is usually initiated by a call from volunteer and the living family member is told about monthly support groups that they may attend. The original hospice team that worked with the family is not part of this service.

No. End of Life Doulas are private pay. All “companion” services such as Home Instead, Visiting Angels, Comfort Keepers etc. are all private pay. Most End of Life Doulas have a sliding scale payment option.

An End of Life Doula can do everything EXCEPT give a medication and do any form of medical treatment or wound care. There is no limit of number of hours to sit bedside. The hospice volunteer needs to follow Medicare regulations that prohibit any form of touching, moving, feeding, bathing, toileting etc. The hospice volunteer in most US states is limited to a maximum weekly bedside visit of 4 hours. The average volunteer visit is 1-2 hours a week. This does not provide the adjunct support that p

No, An End of Life Doula never gives any medication whether prescription or over the counter.

Yes. An End of Life Doula has a ”scope of practice” that includes everything from the time of a terminal diagnosis to helping patients and families as the illness progresses, to the vigil, time of death, understanding and honoring grief and finally recover of life after loss.

The hospital health team you didn’t know you had David Griffiths couldn’t breathe.  The 69-year-old cinematographer had been losing his voice for months. Then, one night last summer, he woke up gasping for breath.  “It was frightening,” says Griffiths. “I walked around all night because I was afraid to go back to sleep.” The next day at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) probed Griffiths’ throat and discovered a huge white tumor wrapped around his larynx

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