A Geriatric Doula, or Elder Care Doula, provides non-medical physical, practical, informational, educational, emotional, and spiritual care for elderly people and aging seniors.
The profession of Geriatric Doula is on the rise because we live in a world in which people increasingly become older, while the absolute number of those who need care likewise surges. In addition, due to the way society has evolved in the past decades, families often live very far from one another and cannot be around each other regularly.
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The Geriatric Doula can simply be a companion or buddy for a person who goes through their aging process, but may also provide targeted ongoing support to both the client and their families up to the end-of-life process.
This Doula may spend many hours providing company, conversation, comfort, and encouragement to the elderly person, but may also give physical support in bathing, washing, going to the toilet, feeding, walking, or giving massage, and so on, and logistical support in the sense of taking them to medical appointments or planning for those.
In addition, the Geriatric Doula can be of help in giving information and education to the client and their family about the process of aging and dying, resources, options, and (self) advocacy.
Other important tasks and activities the Geriatric Doula may engage in are monitoring that their client eats well and take their medication, assistance in pet care, organize their important documents (such as wills, deeds to properties, birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, insurance plans, and so on), grocery shopping, helping them to deal with unresolved family issues, running errands, taking a client out for day trips, organizing the client’s home, and making sure all passwords and documents for bank accounts, social media, and other relevant domains are in one safe place.
