4 · SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 2017 PEACEFUL ENDING End-of-life doulas give dying patients, family members comfort, support Elizabeth Aungier worked in hospice and palliative care for years, but when her own father was reaching the end of his life in 2015, she found herself seeking out a friend who also had experience in death and dying. She had little questions, the answers to which she probably already knew, but it helped to get reassurance from someone else, she said. After he passed, she said she felt like there was something she needed to do to help address the gaps in what is provided to families through typical end-of-life providers and what the family might need on a more holistic level. “I remember thinking at the time that my friend reminded me of a midwife, except at the end of life,” Aungier said. “I started doing some research, and I found this end-of-life doula movement in California and New York, and it was so intriguing to me because that’s exactly what I’d experienced with my friend, just informally.” Doulas are most often associated with childbirth. From the Greek word for “woman’s helper,” doulas assist pregnant women, often beginning in the months leading up to childbirth as they develop a birthing plan and as the mom-to-be might have questions and concerns. They also can assist with pain management techniques during labor and then help after the baby is born. Although they don’t provide medical care, doulas typically have medical knowledge and can offer suggestions and reassurance to the family on a variety of topics, as well as give emotional support and act as advocates for their patients. Working alongside a woman’s medical team, doulas can often be considered childbirth coaches. In recent years, the field of end-of-life doulas has grown in the U.S. Much as birth doulas help assist patients and their families emotionally, spiritually and physically as they prepare for new life to enter the world, end-of-life doulas do the same for families preparing for a loved one’s life to leave it. Aungier, president of Greensburg-based Promise Hospice, recently launched PromiseCare Doulas as the first endof life doula program in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette and Washington counties. “I think that there is a response to an outgrowth in our culture to have a natural death, and because of that, we’re now seeing individuals looking for something that can provide that,” she said. “People want to stay at home. They want to die at home, and it doesn’t happen as often as it could. Sometimes that’s because of fear of the unknown with families and patients. “End-of-life doulas can add that extra layer of calming, soothing support that will LENDINGAHAND BY KAREN PRICE Some of the things end-of-life doulas can help with include preparing a living will and other legal documents, planning for the funeral service and what the person would like and determining who they might like to see and talk to as their health declines. COMPLETE CARE FACILITY 24 Hour Quality Care All One Floor • Air Conditioning • Affordable Rates • Modern & Handicapped Accessible Facility • State Licensed • Family Atmosphere •Wide Range Of Activities • Nurse On Staff Applewood Personal Care Home Brackenridge www.applewoodcare.com 724-224-1822 adno=6493300 Personal Assistance Services accessAbilities, Inc. enhancing quality of life Choose accessAbilities, Inc. Providing home and community as Your Service Provider! based services for individuals 18 years and older… Call Today! • assisting with activities of daily living, companion and/or respite care; and • allowing individuals to live in the comforts of their own homes. NowHiring Direct Care Staff 724.832.8272 • www.accessabilities.org adno=6489344
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