Learn about training to become an end-of-life doula and earn a certificate if desired through the programs at INELDA.
About the guest:
My guest Douglas Simpson is the executive director of the International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA.) He shares his story of becoming an end-of-life doula and why INELDA has shifted its model of education to prepare for the future. We discuss the need for partnerships for doulas in the future and the many different career paths available to those who train as doulas. Learn more at the website:
In this episode:
- Why INELDA shifted in 2022 to create partnerships to ensure there are spaces where doula care can be provided
- How Doug learned from his own experience that doulas need more than just training including mentorship
- We need to keep educating both the public and the healthcare system to accept the role of doulas
- Doulas offer time to the overworked hospice care system
- The vision of having family doulas who work side-by-side with professional doulas to care for their loved ones
- How the “doula approach” can influence how we experience every part of life
- How INELDA is expanding the continuum of care (e.g. funeral industry, general healthcare, when death happens suddenly)
- INELDA’s course offerings
- The importance of understanding what the language of training and certification means to each organization that provides training because it differs
- Where EOL Doulas are headed over the next 5-10 years
Links for this episode:
Resources
- INELDA’s Discovery Calls
- What Death Doulas Offer at the End of Life
- Death Over Drafts Pre-EndWell Event 11/11/26 Get information and register here
Related episodes
- Check out the End-of-Life Doula Playlist of Previous Episodes
- How Death Doulas Fill the Gaps in End-of-Life Care with Kacie Gikonyo RN
- Integrating Doulas and Chaplains in End-of-Life Care with Jane Whitlock and Liza Neal
- The Doula Tool Kit: A Guide for EOL Doulas with Diane Button, Gabby Elise Jimenez, and Angela Shook
Other links
- Field Guide to What Really Matters
- 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
- Latest post on Substack: Mother Nature is Waiting for Your Visit
- What Really Matters Podcast: How and Why to Keep a Nature Journal
- Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
- Buy me a coffee
- Donate on Paypal
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. And thanks to Karen Queasy for buying me a monthly coffee and to everyone who has made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
NEXT ON EOLU PODCAST: Tamara McIntyre on “Community Coffin Building“
In this episode I share an interview with Kate Munger and Marti Mariette who have helped to spread the “threshold choir” movement across the U.S. and the world. You’ll hear clips of their beautiful singing! Learn more at 
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In this episode I share an interview with Joe DiNardo who talks about his book A Letter to My Wife and discusses how his long-term practice of mindfulness meditation helped him cope with being a caregiver and grieving his wife’s death.
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Joe is also the author of the newly released book A Letter to My Wife, which follows his journey with late wife Marcia, from cancer diagnosis through death. The website states that “His practice of mindfulness is explored throughout this heartfelt dedication and serves as the foundation for his recommendations on coping with loss and healing. His story, which includes both practical advice and profound wisdom, is a real-life example of how powerful and guiding meditation can be during life’s painful and challenging chapters. ”