Sacred End-of-Life Doula
Nan Bernstein
End-of-life planning is not a chore for the ill; it is a gift for the healthy.
Document your choices today.
Eliminate tomorrow's guesswork for your family.
Secure your peace of mind.
Focus on living.
Reclaiming the Natural Conversation on Life and Death
Facing mortality is difficult. These preparations often feel heavy or uncomfortable. But planning the inevitable is not surrender; it is honoring your values and memories exactly as you wish. Embrace these conversations. Remove the stigma.
Modern society glorifies youth, drowning out discussions about aging. Decades ago, multi-generational homes encouraged natural transition talks. Today, loved ones scatter across continents, silencing those necessary conversations. Reclaim them now. This deepens relationships, honors wishes, and restores meaning to your life.
What is a Death Doula?
A Death Doula provides non-medical, emotional, and spiritual support during end-of-life passages. This role extends beyond final moments. It fosters awareness, comfort, and preparedness long before transition nears. With reverence and precision, I guide individuals and families with support at every stage, regardless of age.
End-of-Life Planning and Guidance
Honor your unique journey. Ease the process for you and your loved ones.
Essential Paperwork: Essential Paperwork: Receive guidance to complete and secure vital documents: DNR, Will, Health Proxy, and POLST/MOLST. Ensure this paperwork aligns with your legacy and core values. (We will review guides like North Star to confirm alignment.)
End-of-Life Planning: Design a personalized plan reflecting your detailed wishes, including all disposition options: green, traditional, or cremation.
Transition Coaching: Navigate change with clarity and support. I offer compassionate coaching for individuals, families, and caregivers to approach transitions with understanding.
Work With Nan
Compassionate Death Care and Support
Attentive, non-medical care that delivers dignity, comfort, connection, and peace.
Bedside Presence & Companionship: Deliver attentive companionship to ensure comfort during final moments. I bring calm, connection, and presence.
Care Team Coordination: Ensure seamless integration between medical, emotional, and spiritual support. I guarantee holistic alignment.
Personalized Rituals: Honor life stories through meaningful, intentional rituals. I respect and cherish every final wish.
Grief Support and Bereavement Care
Provides empathetic care that honors life, guides grief, and fosters healing.
Grief Education: Supply specialized resources for approaching loss with clarity and emotional resilience through focused death guidance.
Bereavement Guidance: Process grief and honor cherished memories with expert support and deep understanding.
Ceremonies & Reflections: Facilitate ‘Celebration of Life’ ceremonies and funerals. I help manage all final reflections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Misconceptions cloud end-of-life preparation, regardless of age. Seeking doula guidance is not admitting death; it is a proactive step for clarity, control, and peace.
Define your relationship with death.
Dismantle the stigma surrounding end-of-life planning.
Create space for deeper understanding.
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Overwhelmed by decisions? You don't need checklists; you need a conversation. Reaching out to a Death Doula is the first step toward clarity. Our focused discovery session strips away noise, concentrating purely on your needs.
Stop navigating thresholds alone. Contact me today. I create concrete plans that secure your peace of mind, starting now.
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A good death honors your values, wishes, and dignity. It removes unnecessary suffering through compassionate care, seamless transition assistance, and preparation.
Planning for end-of-life ensures loved ones and caregivers understand and respect your choices. Tools like advance directives and the North Star guide provide essential clarity and comfort for final decisions.
A good death prioritizes presence, legacy planning, emotional support, and the ability to say goodbye completely. It is a deeply personal experience, shaped by thoughtful planning that guarantees your wishes are honored.
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Death doulas complement, but do not replace, medical care. They are not healthcare providers. Doulas serve as advocates and companions, honoring wishes throughout planning, end-of-life experience, and grief.
Hospice nurses provide vital medical oversight. My role as your Death Doula provides the continuous emotional and logistical support clinical shifts cannot cover. I act as your non-medical anchor—from intentional paperwork oversight to constant bedside presence.
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Invest in clarity: Individual guidance is set at $175 per hour. Secure comprehensive half-day sessions for intensive emotional and logistical mapping at $500. Because specialized advocacy must remain accessible, I offer a needs-based sliding scale. Each session delivers a personal investment: honoring your narrative and grounding your family at every stage.
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Medicare and private insurance do not cover doula services because our focus is non-medical advocacy. My work is a personal investment for families requiring specialized, one-on-one attention.
Change is accelerating. Check local state agencies for emerging community support or end-of-life grants. My mission is to complement medical teams, acting as the constant bridge. This ensures that while your physical needs are met, your unique narrative and wishes remain central.
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End-of-life planning is for everyone, regardless of age or health status. It ensures your values and wishes are honored. Too many delay these conversations until urgency dictates. Planning early guarantees objectivity, open-mindedness, and clarity.
Thoughtful planning provides immediate peace of mind. It offers a clear roadmap aligning all decisions with your priorities. Commit to these discussions proactively, revisit them annually for evolving values, and then live fully—secure in your understood legacy.
About Nan
I am Nan. My journey into caregiving began unexpectedly at 22 when I delivered a stranger’s baby during an emergency. Though I never learned her name, that experience profoundly shaped my understanding of presence and support during life’s critical transitions. Since then, I have dedicated my life to guiding individuals through threshold moments—whether stepping into a new chapter or navigating their final days with dignity.
My background in film and television developed my strong communication and connection skills. I now apply that expertise as a Death Doula, providing focused, non-medical guidance. My practice assists with career decisions, healthcare planning, and organizing end-of-life documentation, always placing personal values at the forefront.
I hold essential certifications: Coach and Doula from the Conscious Dying Collective, Life Coach certification from the Einstein Institute, and completed intensive work with Elizabeth Kübler-Ross on Life, Death, and Transition. I collaborate with key organizations like Compassion and Choices, Aging with Dignity, and Elder Services, and I have worked alongside Hospice Care of the Berkshires.
Through clear, compassionate support, I help individuals and families navigate life’s most meaningful transitions with confidence. I offer tailored, emotional end-of-life support that honors personal wishes.
Contact Nan
Nan offers a free, 10-minute consultation for anyone at any stage of planning. To access immediate information on pricing and services, complete the form below.