Frequently Asked Questions

A non-medical companion and guide through serious illness, dying, death, and grief. I provide education about what’s coming, help with planning and decisions, emotional support, presence at the bedside, and coordination among family and care teams — for the person facing the end of life and for the people who love them.

No. Hospice provides medical care: nurses, medication, equipment, symptom management. I don’t do any of that, and I don’t need to, because hospice does it well.What I bring is time - focused on enhancing quality of life, facilitating meaningful conversations, and supporting emotional and spiritual needs, while working alongside hospice teams rather than substituting their specialized care.

No. End-of-life doulas are not licensed or regulated by any state or national governing body, and there is no accredited certifying authority.What you can ask about is training and background. Mine: a Master of Public Health, fifteen years in oncology clinical research, end-of-life doula training with the University of Vermont and the Doulagivers Institute, and board of director service with the Florida End of Life Doula Alliance.

No. Some of the most useful work I do is with healthy people — advance directives, choosing a healthcare surrogate, family conversations, getting documents in order. Every adult is eligible for that work, at any age and any state of health.The best time to plan is when you don’t need to.

It’s not too late. Some families work with me for months; some call in the final days. There is meaningful work in both — vigil support, family guidance, help understanding what you’re seeing, and someone steady in the room.

Neither. I work with people of any faith and people with none, and I follow your lead. Your beliefs, your language, your rituals — or the absence of all three — set the terms. I don’t bring an agenda to the bedside.