About me
My name is Tracy Leinbach and I am a certified End of Life Doula. I have been trained in the top 10 end of life disease processes and learned tight symptom management for each. I have knowledge of what to expect and to anticipate the needs of the patient. I am the eyes and ears of hospice, keeping them in the loop of any transitional changes. I also have been taught the top medications in the hospice comfort kit and the interventions to take to help alleviate any discomfort. I am educated in the areas of setting a sacred space, home funerals and wakes, green burials, advanced directives and self written obituaries.
Many people don’t realize how overworked and understaffed the wonderful souls in hospice care and assisted living are. That being said, my hope as an end of life doula is to fill the gap between what hospice is able to do for the patient and what the family and caregivers are taught to do. I can offer my time, love, patience, compassion and peaceful presence to your loved to ensure a beautiful and peaceful end of life.
If you know of a family who could use my services, please reach out to me.
Support Services
How I Assist
Help with safety and acute concerns
Assess the environment on my first, and each subsequent visit for any safety and acute issues. When and if any issues are found, I will work with the caregiver, patient and family to remedy the situations to help the patient comfortably navigate through their end of life stages.
Provide a support system
Help to find any support systems to give respite to the main caregiver. I can help get together meal trains, visiting times, medication schedules, and more.
Bedside vigil
Sit vigil with the patient to give the caregiver time for rest and self care.
Organize caregivers
Work with patient to appoint the main caregivers requested to be present for any cleaning, feeding, bathing, ambulating etc.
Legacy projects
Assist in legacy projects as well as life reviews.
Help with forgiveness and acceptance
Help patient and family members work through any controversies toward forgiveness and acceptance, helping to bring about a peaceful and beautiful end of life.
Build trust
Listen and give control back to the patient. Make sure the patient has their dignity intact, their voice heard and their needs met.
Work through the end of life phases
Meet the patient and family where they are, with no judgement, and work with them from that point forward.
Education
Share my gift of connection and compassion and work toward alleviating any fears of death or loneliness.
Advanced Directives
Help the patient with advanced directives and select their medical power of attorney. Making sure that the family is aware of these directives and that they are being followed as the patient wishes.
Please call or email me to learn more.
End of Life Doula Support
How Can I Help?
Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
FAQ
What is the difference between a hospice nurse and an end-of-life Doula?
Time and roles. The hospice nurse is a medical manager of the terminal patient with limited time at the bedside. The Doula is a non-medical professional that is the eyes and ears of the case with no time limitations. The Doula alerts the hospice team to any changes in the patient’s presentation So that the hospice nurse can assess and update the care plan for the maximum daily comfort of the patient.
Does insurance cover the services of an end-of-life Doula?
No. The End of Life Doula’s are private pay. All companion services such as Home Instead, Visiting Angels, etc. are all private pay. Most End of Life Doula’s have a sliding scale payment option.
Can an End of Life Doula give medications?
No. An End of Life Doula never gives any medication whether prescribed or over-the-counter.
Can an End of Life Doula help make funeral arrangements for me?
Yes. And End of Life Doula has a “scope of practice” that includes everything from the time of a terminal diagnosis, to helping patients and families as the illness progresses, to the vigil, time of death, after death care, understanding and honoring grief and finally recovery of life after loss.
Contact
Please call or email to learn more about my services.
Address:
Sun City West, AZ, USA
Email:
Phone:
602-501-6739
