End of Life Plan, what is it?

Every End of Life Doula has their own list of services that they provide to people who reach out to them and they vary for each doula. For me, I thought I’d share the things that I offer to people when they come and seek my services.

The first one being, End of Life Planning. This can include quite a few things but the first is documentation. Making sure that if you need a Will, a Living Trust, MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), DNR (Do Not Resuscitate), Advance Directives...anything that’s paperwork related that I could assist with; either by taking you through and completing or guiding you on how to take care of that yourself, no matter what state you live in.

The other part of it is Funeral Planning. We will talk about the different options that you have. So many things have changed in the funeral industry that the traditional format of services to a graveside isn't your only option. Many people don’t realize what they have access to and what is possible. We talk through all those pieces and figure out what feels right to you and then can start putting the wheels in motion to formulate your wishes.

We can also discuss Legacy Projects and those can look like all kinds of things. I've recorded a podcast, helped with letter writing, organized photo albums to give to family members after passing. Are there certain items that are sentimental to you or that you want to ensure go to someone specifically, we can work together to create a ledger of how you would like these things distributed once you’re gone.

Lastly, we can review what will be needed after you pass. Creating a location where we can gather all your documentation, account numbers, phone numbers, etc. so that the person who’s the executor or your family members can easily find the information. They will be grieving and in that space there’s time limits on things that they have to have done. This way it’s easily accessible and they won’t have to worry about searching for necessary details.