End-of-Life Doula

Heart-led guidance for life’s final threshold

My Approach

I don’t see death as just a medical event. I see it as a threshold. A sacred one.

Whether someone is in a hospital room, a palliative care unit, or at home in their own bed, my role remains the same this is to bring steadiness to the space and support the people within it.

When I enter a room where someone is nearing the end of life, I’m paying attention to more than what’s happening medically. I’m noticing the atmosphere. The unspoken emotions. The hesitation. The love. The uncertainty.

Some families feel very natural around death. Others feel completely lost, especially if it’s the first time they’ve ever faced it. That’s normal.

If we’re in a hospital setting, there can be added layers like medical language, time pressures, uncertainty around what questions to ask. I gently support that space. I can help you form the questions, request conversations with staff, or simply sit beside you while clarity is found. Not to challenge anyone, but to ensure you feel informed and supported.

If we’re at home, there can be different questions like what’s normal, what isn’t, who to call, what happens next. I help families feel clear about where to direct those questions and remind them they’re allowed to ask for support from the right professionals.

Alongside this, I guide the small moments of connection like hand-holding, speaking softly, brushing hair, moisturising dry hands and feet, adjusting lighting, playing familiar music and sitting closer. Even when someone isn’t responding, connection is still happening.

Sometimes I offer Reiki. Sometimes I sit in silence. Sometimes I simply hold the steadiness in the room so others can soften.

I don’t treat someone as already gone simply because they are dying. They are still alive until they are not and the people loving them are still living in the middle of it all. Life doesn’t neatly pause. There are still phone calls, responsibilities, practical decisions, and moments where guilt can surface simply because something ordinary needs to be done. Often there is no real rush, even when it feels urgent. I help steady that pace so families can breathe before moving into what comes next.

Both deserve care. Both deserve steadiness in the uncertainty that unfolds around death.

What Is An End-of-Life Doula

An End-of-Life Doula is a trained, non-medical support person who offers emotional and spiritual presence to those nearing the end of life and the people who love them.

I don’t replace nurses, doctors, or carers. And I don’t take on the practical or legal responsibilities that other doulas on the island may offer. That work is important, it’s simply not my role.

What I offer is quieter.

When someone is approaching the end of life, there can be a lot happening in the room whether it be medically, emotionally, energetically. My role is to help steady that space. To sit in it without trying to fix it. To support both the person who is dying and the loved ones walking beside them.

Sometimes the greatest support isn’t more information. It’s presence.

My Story

My path into this work deepened when I sat beside my own mum as she prepared to pass. She was in the active dying phase with dementia — confused and afraid. I connected with her through Reiki and quiet presence. As I offered energy work, I felt her soften. Her breathing changed. Her body relaxed. There was a settling.

I held one of her hands while my dad held the other as she took her final breath.

Later, I supported another family initially there for the wife while her husband was dying. I sat with her so she didn’t feel alone. We created moments where she could feel involved rather than helpless. After he passed, I continued supporting her as she navigated the loneliness and the silence that followed.

What I realised through these experiences is this: people don’t always need more doing. They need steady presence. They need someone who isn’t overwhelmed. Someone who can sit in the room without trying to fix the moment.

That is what I offer.

What My Support Often Looks Like

Each family and each transition is different. I shape my support around what feels needed in the moment.

Companioning the Dying

– Sitting quietly at the bedside
– Gentle hand or foot massage
– Reiki and subtle energetic calming
– Creating a more peaceful atmosphere in the room
– Supporting nervous system settling
– Encouraging small moments of connection between loved ones

Supporting the Partner or Family

– Grounded emotional presence
– Being a sounding board for thoughts that feel too heavy to share elsewhere
– Helping loved ones feel less helpless
– Gently guiding meaningful moments — holding hands, speaking softly, brushing hair, tending dry skin
– Noticing when caregivers forget about themselves and helping them pause
– Making tea, organising food, encouraging rest
– Sitting bedside so a partner can take a short break without fear

Often, the person keeping vigil is running on adrenaline and love. They forget to eat. They don’t want to leave the room. They feel responsible for every moment. Part of my role is caring for them too so they don’t disappear inside the process.

In Hospital Settings

– Helping families form the questions they may not know to ask
– Requesting conversations with staff if clarity is needed
– Liaising gently with nurses when concerns arise
– Supporting open discussions about comfort care and options
– Helping loved ones feel confident in speaking up
– Reminding families they have time and choice in the hours after passing

Bereavement Support

– Ongoing companionship in the weeks that follow
– A steady place to speak honestly
– Reiki sessions to support emotional processing
– Gentle communication support if agreed

Energetic Support

At the heart of my work is holding presence steady, attentive, and compassionate. Energy support is one of the ways this can be expressed when it feels welcomed by the person and their family.

Reiki and similar gentle energy-based techniques are often used in palliative and hospice settings because many people describe them as deeply relaxing and calming during times of uncertainty. Research in palliative care suggests Reiki therapy may help ease anxiety, support comfort, and contribute to a sense of peace and quality of life for people with serious illness near the end of life .

Some people experience energy work as a soothing presence that supports emotional ease and relaxation, and this can be true whether I’m physically in the room with you, or if that’s more fitting at the time sending Reiki from a distance. This kind of support can help nervous systems settle and create space for connection when words may be hard to find.

For the person who is dying, energy support can feel like a gentle way to ease restlessness or discomfort. For the people still living, it can be a place where emotion rises safely and is held a moment where you can feel into what’s coming up without needing to stay strong for everyone else. Many families find that after a Reiki session they can breathe a little more deeply or feel more centred in the room.

This isn’t a replacement for medical care, but it can be a meaningful complement to it a way of honouring the body, emotion, and spirit together as life unfolds.

Investment

End-of-Life Doula support is charged at $75 per hour.

For families who would prefer to secure support over time, prepaid packages are available:

5-hour package – $350 (equivalent to $70 per hour)
10-hour package – $650 (equivalent to $65 per hour)

Packages are prepaid, valid for 12 months, and hours can be shared across family members. Additional hours can be purchased as needed.

Dedicated Reiki sessions are available at $120 per hour.

All in-person support is provided in your space whether is be at home, hospital, or hospice.

Travel beyond 30km from Kingscote is charged at a flat rate of $45 per visit.

Initial Meeting

Our first meeting is a time for us to sit together and discuss what is happening, what support feels needed, and whether I am the right fit for your family. This conversation allows us to clarify expectations, boundaries, and practical arrangements.

For this initial visit, only the flat travel rate of $45 is charged.

If you choose to move forward with support, time begins from our agreed start point thereafter.

Further details and agreements are discussed during this first meeting to ensure everything feels clear and comfortable for all involved.

When You’re Ready

If something in you feels drawn to this kind of support for yourself or someone you love you’re welcome to reach out.

You can complete the enquiry form below, and I will respond as soon as possible.

If your situation feels time-sensitive, you’re also welcome to call me directly on 0488 615 4459.

There is no pressure. Just a steady place to begin.