Making Personal Connections
If you work as a doula, you have probably been through the experience of helping someone put together an advance care plan—or at the very least, you have taken time to put some thought into a plan for yourself. Which means you know how challenging that project can be. One of the first, and biggest, […]
That’s the Question, Isn’t It?
I have a question for you. You are more than welcome to answer it, for yourself—in fact, you probably should. But really, I’m giving you this question as a gift to use as a tool with your clients, because this is one of the most important questions you can ask when it comes to advance […]
Tree of Life Spotlight
Fall is in the air, and the International Doula Life Movement Tree of Life Conference is getting closer and closer! Over the past several weeks we have taken time to spotlight many of the speakers we are looking forward to having with us at the conference, all with their own unique specialties and points of […]
Meet: The Hospice Care Plan & Linda McDowell
When people learn you work in end of life care, they say things like, “That’s so interesting,” or “I could never do that.” Sometimes the reaction is positive and sometimes it’s negative, but in both cases there is often an unspoken question—why on earth would you want to do THAT? There are lots of reasons. […]
Back To School
It’s still hot out, but autumn is right around the corner, and that means back to school time. The tradition of school terms starting in the fall goes back at least a hundred and fifty years in the United States. Schools took summer off because so many of the students came from farming families. They […]
Life Event Rituals
Every human life is filled with rituals, even if we don’t always think of them that way. Small daily rituals like brushing our teeth, weekly rituals of going to church or getting together with friends, annual rituals of celebrating birthdays and holidays. All these rituals, big and small, give shape and order to our lives. […]
Summer Summit 2024
At International Doula Life Movement, our top priority is making sure all of our students have access to in depth, comprehensive training for working with end of life patients. We are proud to say that even our basic course is constantly being enhanced with new information, staying as current as possible with new advances in […]
Dealing With Sudden Death
As doulas, when most of us imagine a case we might work on, I think we generally envision a situation where someone is nearing death but still communicative. We plan on being able to ask them about their wishes and talk with the family about what is going to happen, we prepare ourselves to guide […]
Extensive Advance Directive Training is a Win-Win-Win
As an end of life/death educator, I have learned first hand that our role starts “in the now” when it comes to advance care planning. Through my 25 years of death doulaship, I have seen that the doula skill set provides a perfect match to help others with end of life conversations and the questions […]
Not Dead Yet
Don’t let yourself start making the mistake of thinking of terminal patients only in terms of their illness. Instead, keep looking at the mother/father/grandparent/brother/sister/beloved friend who is still there with you, living and breathing, ready to talk about the things they care about, everything they have done in their life, and even the things they still want to do. Maybe you can help them do those things! There is still time.
