The Shira Ruskay Center

Program Mission & History

Mission

There are people who die essentially alone, without significant support from family or friends. When approaching death, people often experience fear, loneliness and isolation. Doula to Accompany and Comfort Program volunteers serve to minimize this sense of isolation by their weekly visits.

Although the term "end-of-life Doula" has been used in various settings around the country in a range of programs, the Doula to Accompany and Comfort is a unique program and is the sole organization that trains and supervises volunteers to serve those at the end of life in the community, hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Since 2000, the Doula to Accompany and Comfort program has conducted specialized training and supervision for volunteers who provide compassionate companionship for people with a life expectancy of 18 months or less. These well-prepared volunteers commit to a relationship with one dying person at a time. Their visits make a significant difference to those who might otherwise have limited companionship and support during the last days and months of life. The volunteer commits to visiting someone in their home, hospital or nursing home. These volunteers are called "Doulas," the same word used to describe the companions for women in childbirth, because the kind of care required at the end-of-life is very similar to the kind of tender care needed at the beginning of life.

History

In 1998, the Shira Ruskay Center sponsored a Conference on "End of Life Issues And Care" where Dr. Sherwin Nuland spoke of the Yiddish and Hebrew word for funeral, levaya, which means to accompany. During his discussion, Dr. Nuland emphasized the importance of accompanying seriously ill patients through the dying process. Phyllis Farley, who attended the conference, suggested that well-prepared volunteers could make a significant difference to those who would otherwise be alone while dying. Her suggestion, as well as her assistance in gaining funding for the pilot program, birthed the "Doula to Accompany and Comfort" program at JBFCS.

Using private funding, a pilot volunteer doula program was built in collaboration between JBFCS and the NYU Medical Center’s Department of Social Services, and successfully completed in June 2001. Since that time, the program has grown and developed to follow and meet the need of both professionals and those they serve.

In addition to providing compassionate companionship to those who have life limiting illness, the program trains professionals around end of life issues, offering continuing education programming. The Doula to Accompany and Comfort program is philanthropically funded. Consultation is offered to other organizations to implement their own programs to serve their communities. These programs are customized to meet the individual needs of each healthcare organization and provided on a fee-for-service basis in the form of private funding or grant funding. To date, approximately 400 Doulas have been trained, both in-house and off-site in other facilities.

©2011 The Shira Ruskay Center
135 West 50th Street, 6th Floor · New York, NY 10020
Phone: (212) 632-4608 · Fax: (212) 399-2475 ·
[JBFCS site] [Jewish Connections Programs]