Hospice cares for the medical side. A death doula holds the human side.
Death Doula vs Hospice Care in Canada: What Is the Difference?
A lot of people hear the words hospice and death doula and are not quite sure what the difference is.
Both can be very helpful at end of life, but they are not the same thing.
They often work alongside each other, with each one supporting a different part of the experience.
What hospice care provides:
Hospice care focuses on medical and clinical support.
That may include:
- Pain and symptom management
- Nursing care
- medical oversight
- Coordination with other healthcare providers
- Comfort care at home or in a hospice setting
Hospice care plays an important role in helping the person who is dying stay as comfortable as possible.
What a death doula provides:
A death doula provides non-medical support.
That may include:
- Emotional support
- Bedside presence
- Support for family members
- Helping people understand what to expect
- Gentle guidance through the dying process
- Practical and emotional support after a death
Where hospice looks after the medical side, a doula helps hold the human side.
How they work together
These supports are not in competition with each other.
They often work beautifully together.
Hospice helps with the clinical side of care.
A doula helps with the emotional, practical, and relational side.
Families often find that having both creates a fuller kind of support during a very difficult time.
Choosing the support that feels right
Some families only use hospice care.
Some want the added support of a doula.
Some connect with a doula early on, before hospice is involved.
There is no one right way to do this.
The right support is the support that helps you feel cared for, informed, and less alone.
End of life support in Victoria, BC
In Victoria, BC, families may choose one kind of support or a combination of both, depending on what they need.
What matters most is knowing you do have options.
You do not have to carry every part of this on your own.
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