End of Life with Lizzie
End of Life Companion & Doula, in Training
Services
People often choose an end-of-life doula when they want steady, human support through illness, ageing, death, and the emotions, decisions, and meanings that come with it.
We’ve become distanced from the traditions of caring for our loved ones at the end of life. What was once held within families and communities has shifted into medical settings, leaving many people unsure, unprepared, or afraid to be close to dying.
I’m committed to helping bring this knowledge back into our communities - to share what I’ve learned, to rebuild confidence, and to remind people that we are allowed to care, to be present, and to participate fully in the final chapters of those we love.
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My support is offered freely, as part of my ongoing practice and my commitment to building compassionate communities. I can provide you with as much or as little support as you choose, there is no one size fits all.
For example, perhaps you want some guidance around the Lasting Power of Attorney process only, or you would like someone to support you and your loved ones through the final days of your life, so that you can spend time with them without the worry of who is sorting out practicalities. Simply get in touch and we can see if we can work together and what your needs are.
Dependent on the agreement with you, and the arrangement we have to place for support, I may charge travel expenses.
Any costs incurred as a result of the work that we do together, such as the cost to the Office of the Public Guardian for Lasting Powers of Attorney, will be your responsibility to pay for.
Guiding you to preserve your story, through letters, recordings, keepsakes, or memory boxes, leaving not just possessions, but love and legacy.
Helping carers, friends, and family understand the dying process, navigate emotions, and find comfort in rituals of care and farewell.
Providing information on washing, dressing, or spending time with the body, funeral options, and connecting you with local compassionate networks.
Helping you discuss, identify and create an Advance Care Plan, Statement of Wishes, or discuss DNACPR, LPA, and ADRT options, in plain language, at your pace.
Holding space for individuals and families at the bedside or from afar, offering presence, reassurance, and gentle understanding as death approaches.
Legacy & Meaning
Creating Continuity and Connection - Legacy work helps people leave more than belongings, it helps them leave a sense of themselves.
Through letters, recordings, stories, recipes, photographs, or keepsakes, we preserve love and memory in tangible form. These gestures become touchstones for family and friends, bringing comfort and connection long after death.
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“A legacy is not what we leave behind, but what we leave within others.”
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Finding Purpose and Peace - Reflecting on life’s experiences allows people to see patterns of meaning, forgiveness, and growth.
Legacy work can help someone recognise the impact they’ve had, how they’ve loved, learned, and contributed. That understanding brings a quiet sense of completion and peace, easing the emotional weight of dying.
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Strengthening Bonds - Creating memory boxes or recording life stories often becomes a shared project between generations and loved ones. It opens conversations, heals old rifts, and replaces silence with storytelling and laughter. These moments can be among the most honest and beautiful in life.
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Supporting Grief and Healing - After death, legacy materials offer comfort to those who remain. They give the bereaved something to hold, listen to, or read when words fall short. They turn absence into continued presence, a soft bridge between worlds.
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“Legacy work reminds us that love doesn’t end, it changes form.”
Advance planning gives you control over what happens as you approach the end of life - your care, your environment, and your legacy.
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It can include things like:
- Where you’d like to be cared for (home, hospice, hospital)
- Treatments you do or don’t want
- Who speaks on your behalf if you can’t
- Spiritual, emotional, and comfort preferences
- Funeral or remembrance wishes
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Knowing these are in place often reduces anxiety and brings a quiet sense of readiness and calm.
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I use a set of template documents that I have created to ensure that we record your wishes and needs accurately and in a way that can be shared with loved ones and also community and medical staff, as necessary.
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Planning ahead is about living the rest of your life with clarity and peace.
When death comes, those you love are often left to make difficult decisions. Advance planning removes that emotional burden. It prevents guilt, confusion, and conflict by making your wishes clear and written down.
Your family can focus on being with you, rather than deciding for you.
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“A plan is a love letter to those who remain, a way of saying, ‘You don’t have to guess what I’d want.’”
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It allows you to define what dignity looks like for you, to choose what matters most as life draws to a close. You can express values such as comfort over cure, presence over procedure, or family over formality.
It keeps you in the centre of your own story, even when you can no longer speak. Health professionals and carers can act in line with your values rather than making assumptions. It can mean less invasive treatment, more comfort-based care, and better alignment with your emotional and spiritual needs.
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Talking about death opens up meaningful dialogue between family and friends. It can bring intimacy, forgiveness, gratitude, and humour, all things that help people grieve more gently later on.
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“Advance planning is not the end of the story, it’s the beginning of a more honest conversation about living.”
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It allows you to leave instructions, keepsakes, and messages that reflect who you are - creating comfort for those who love you.
This can be as formal as a Statement of Wishes or as simple as a handwritten note.
Advanced Planning
Support for Loved Ones
Emotional Anchoring - When someone you love is dying, emotions can feel unpredictable, sadness, fear, helplessness, even relief.
I can provide that steady companionship through those emotional waves, helping loved ones stay present and grounded instead of feeling lost or overwhelmed.
“When the room feels heavy with uncertainty, a doula helps everyone breathe again.”
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Guidance and Understanding - The dying process can be unfamiliar and frightening. I will gently explain what to expect, the changes in breathing, consciousness, and mood, helping you and your loved ones recognise these as natural parts of the body’s transition rather than something to fear. Knowledge replaces panic with calm, allowing loved ones to focus on being with rather than worrying about.
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Facilitating Connection - I can help loved ones and families find meaningful ways to say what needs to be said; I love you, I forgive you, thank you, goodbye. I will suggest rituals or gestures that bring comfort, such as sharing music, reading aloud, holding hands, or lighting candles. This deepens intimacy and ensures no important words are left unspoken.
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Practical Support and Relief - Loved ones and families often juggle emotional strain with logistics, phone calls, visitors, paperwork, funeral planning etc. I can lighten that load by coordinating small tasks, liaising with professionals, and helping everyone stay focused on what truly matters: time together.
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Compassionate Continuity After Death - My presence doesn’t end at the last breath. I help loved ones navigate what comes next, honouring wishes, arranging immediate care of the body, and guiding them toward grief support. This continuity brings enormous relief, reminding loved ones and families that they are still cared for even as they begin to grieve.
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“For loved ones, a doula is both a guide and a gentle witness, holding the family and loved ones as they hold each other.”
Comfort, Calm, and Companionship - End-of-life support ensures that no one has to face dying alone or afraid.
My steady presence brings warmth, reassurance, and calm in moments that can otherwise feel clinical or rushed. Just knowing that someone is there, unhurried and fully present, can ease fear and tension for both the person dying and their loved ones.
“Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply to stay.”
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In the final weeks or days, families often feel overwhelmed by decisions, terminology, and emotion. End-of-life support helps to translate information, uphold the person’s wishes, and ensure that care remains aligned with what truly matters to them. It restores a sense of control and dignity when systems can feel impersonal.
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My role as a Companion and Doula reaches beyond logistics, it’s about helping you and your loved ones find meaning, closure, or acceptance.
Through listening, gentle ritual, or reflection, I can help you integrate life’s story and approach death with a sense of wholeness.
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Families are often uncertain how to “be” at a bedside of their dying loved one. I can guide you, showing that it’s okay to talk, to touch, to rest, to cry. This reassurance allows you and your loved ones to remain connected, rather than retreat from fear or discomfort.
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End-of-life support doesn’t stop at the last breath - I help families and loved ones navigate what comes next, honouring wishes, contacting services, or simply sitting with you in the stillness.
This gentle continuity eases the transition from dying to grieving and reminds folks they are still cared for.
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“End-of-life support is a promise, that my presence will not leave when words or medicine run out, I will stand, steadfast, alongside you."
End of Life Support
After Death & Community Care
Dignity and Honour for the Person Who Has Died - Taking time to gently wash, dress, or sit with the person who has died restores a sense of humanity and reverence to death.
It’s a moment to bear witness, to acknowledge that this was a life, not a case to be handled. ​Small rituals like combing hair, lighting a candle, or placing flowers can bring comfort and respect to all involved.
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“When we care for the body, we honour the life that lived within it.”
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Emotional Healing for Family and Friends - Participating in post-death care allows loved ones to begin their grief with gentleness and intention. It helps the reality of death settle in slowly, giving space for farewell rather than shock. This hands-on involvement can be deeply therapeutic, a chance to show love through care one final time.
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Choice and Control - After-death care offers families alternatives to the conventional, rushed processes often seen in medical or institutional settings.
People can choose to spend more time at home, hold a vigil, or use natural and green burial options. These choices return agency to families and loved ones and align the farewell with the person’s beliefs and personality.
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Connection Through Community - Involving neighbours, friends, and local groups, from Compassionate Communities to faith or cultural networks, helps share the emotional and practical load. Community care prevents isolation in grief and reminds people that death and mourning are shared human experiences. It’s a way of weaving relationship and care back into a part of life that modern society often hides.
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“When death is held in community, it softens loneliness and strengthens love.”
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The doula’s presence after death bridges the space between dying and grieving. I can help ensure the dying person’s wishes are respected, guide families through paperwork or funeral choices, and connect them to bereavement or hospice support.
This continuity reassures loved ones that you are not abandoned once the person dies, you are still cared for.