End-of-life doula discusses how she helps those in their final days

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR/Gray News) - An end-of-life doula is a non-medical professional who has been trained to provide emotional, spiritual and physical support to terminal patients and their families.

The position has become more common after the pandemic.

Colette Rudolph, an end-of-life doula in Bismarck, North Dakota, said that the job helps those who feel afraid and unprepared to pass on. The profession began long ago to fulfill the needs of terminal patients and their families from a support angle rather than a clinical one.

“They felt that the whole sacredness of this big milestone event was being overlooked,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph has worked in hospice care for about 30 years.

Looking to expand her horizons, she came across the end-of-life doula career online.

After becoming certified in Colorado, she has been helping others through the process of grief and death through counseling and projects based on the passions of those who are dying.

“Everybody has a story, and usually before you can start doing anything with them, they have to tell their story,” Rudolph said.

Although her work is deeply emotional in nature, Rudolph said she enjoys helping the families and individuals who come to her.

“Just knowing that you’ve done all that you can to make them comfortable and peaceful and help the family prepare for the death is rewarding in itself,” she said.

Rudolph works with her clients within the comfort of their own homes.

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