deb turnow – palliative care doula™

First of all – what is a doula? In ancient Greek, a doula is “one who serves.” A doula provides emotional, spiritual, and informational support to their clients and their families and is an advocate.

In this role, I provide supportive care for patients and families who have received a serious diagnosis. My main objective is to care for them holistically. This means that my focus is on their quality of life. That includes working with their other health providers to ensure their symptoms are well managed and help mitigate the stress of a serious illness.

After receiving a serious diagnosis, many people have these types of questions:
• What does my diagnosis mean?
• How is this going to impact my life?
• What questions should I be asking my doctor?
• What are my treatment options?
• How do I maintain a good quality of life while living with a serious illness?
• How is this impacting my family

What I do as a palliative care doula™:
• Gain an understanding of what is of ultimate importance to you
• Provide holistic support to you and your loved ones
• Help walk you through the initial diagnosis
• Gather additional information on your condition
• Identify areas where there is more care needed
• Attend specialist appointments with you, take notes, and help you ask questions so you have all the information you need to make appropriate decisions
• Help you understand what was discussed in the appointment
• Accompany you to medical tests
• Accompany you as you get your test results and help you understand them
• Help you navigate treatment options
• Ensure that your needs and wishes are communicated
• Help coordinate treatment with the different treatment providers
• Communicate with doctors, nurses, and other providers
• Assess the need for a second opinion

email: deb@earth-sky.com                                text/phone: 717-487-2443