Professional Roles, Services, and Quality of Life for End-of-Life Doulas in the United States.

CONTEXT: End-of-life doulas provide support to the chronically ill, dying, and their families. However, little is known about the roles and services of doulas practicing in the United States. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the current study is to gain understanding of the roles and experiences of death doulas in the United States. METHODS: The current study used concurrent triangulation mixed methods design combining survey data with video and audio file submissions from end-of-life doulas. The survey included demographics information, a questionnaire about the roles, services, and training of doulas, and the Professional Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: There were 74 (77.08%) complete responses from doulas practicing in the United States. Doulas shared about the types of services offered and professional roles they filled in work with the dying and their families. Many doulas offered hybrid or virtual services in addition to in-person care. Many worked at least partially on a volunteer basis. Professional Quality of Life Scales indicated a high level of compassion satisfaction, a low level of burnout, and a low level of secondary trauma. CONCLUSION: In the complex healthcare system of the United States, end-of-life doulas offer valuable interpersonal services like legacy and grief work as well as practical services like financial and logistical end-of-life planning.

Life After Death: A Narrative Exploration of Near-Death Experiences.

Death awareness and near-death experiences initiate shifts in awareness, priorities, and relationships. This narrative inquiry explored the stories of four individuals who had near-death experiences. Participants shared their experiences before and after the experiences. Findings include considerations of how mortality awareness connects with life experiences. Resonant threads across narratives included Interactions with Death, Life after Death, and Meaning in Life after Death. Specifically, findings explore near-death experiences, how life was changed following interactions with death, and the meaning-making process through death awareness. Findings and discussion explore the impact of death awareness as well as considerations for those in death and trauma-related fields.

Death Cafes: An Exploration of the Setting, the Players, and the Conversation.

The overarching mission of Death Cafes is to raise people's consciousness about life's temporality so that they make the most of their finite lives. Death Cafés create a space for people to gather and have an open dialogue about death and dying. The current qualitative research study explores the experience of nine participants who engage in Death Cafes as facilitators or attendees. Findings including themes of "The Setting", "The Players", and "The Conversation" explore the experiences of Death Cafe participation. Discussion of findings and implications include death rituals, commercialization of death experiences, and the supportive community of the Death Cafe.