DEATH DOULA Services

Isabel Knight, the founder of The Death Designer, is an INELDA-trained death doula, or end of life doula, which is an advocate for the dying and their families. I offer death doula services to families and individuals in the Philadelphia area and virtually/remotely who are currently working through end of life care.

You can read more about what a death doula is on the INELDA website linked here.

See below for a detailed list of services offered in a standard death doula package, which can be modified based on your specific needs.

Advance Care Planning

I use the 5 Wishes living will, which is accepted in 42 states as a legal document meeting state-level requirements, including Pennsylvania (so if you move, you probably won't have to change anything!) but if you want to create your own or use a different template, I am happy to accommodate.

Legacy Project Planning and Production

This is one of the most fun parts of the job! If you choose to create a legacy project, I can help manage and/or help produce the project to the extent that I am able (I am podcaster and know how to produce video). An example of a recent legacy project was a recorded audiobook of Harry Potter for the grandkids to listen to. See the YouTube video below for an example of an awesome legacy project as inspiration!

Vigil Planning and Support

The vigil period is the period during which an individual is actively dying, and in the case of a medical death is often when the family chooses to sit by the bedside. Many clients prefer to plan out their vigil because it helps to have some control over the environment in which they wish to die. Some examples of things you might want to plan out are:

What do you want the room you die in to look like? Smell like? Sound like?
How would you like people who enter the room to interact with you?
What activities do you want to happen during the vigil phase? Do you want loved ones to read you poetry? Do you want a threshold choir an if so, what songs should they sing?

I can also sit vigil with the family, friends, or community, if they so choose.

Reprocessing

In the time after the death has occurred, I can support you or your family in the early stages of grief, and help you process all the experiences that have occurred. Depending on when I enter into the process, I can share my insights and memories from the dying process and refer you to grief counselors as needed.

Pricing

My fee for doula services is $150/session with a sliding scale available for those who wish to use it, no questions asked. Given that many prefer to have a fixed price instead of a variable price so they can budget for a doula upfront, I can also have a conversation with you in advance to plan out what services you want and give you a quote for a fixed price.

CONTACT

Let’s Work Together

I would love to work with you! If you want to see how we can work together and/or get a quote for services (all prices are based on scope of work), you can use the form here to contact me or send an email to isabel@thedeathdesigner.com.