Figure of support for people at the end of life in the Confederation, the former nurse highlights, in an interview with the “world”, the contribution that listening to a person outside the ‘Entourage for dying.
Interview by Clémence Apetogbor
How to prepare to face death? To be accompanied as best as possible, some dying and their families call on end -of -life doubles. Like the Doulas by birth, which accompany pregnant women before, during and after the arrival of their child, the thanadoulas (from the Greek thana, death, and doula, servant) provide psychological support to the one who s’ Va.
In France, practice is still very marginal. Only the Deuils-Doulas Institute of the end of life of Bonnal, in Doubs, has been officially recognized as a training organization since the beginning of 2022. Activity has developed elsewhere, especially in Switzerland, where around thirty practitioners are referenced by the Doulas end-of-life association, chaired by Rosette Poletti.
At 85 years old, the former nurse in palliative care and former nursing school director draws up the contours of this activity for half-dozen years.
What is a Doula of end of life? Where does this practice come from?
Rosette Poletti: The first doubles were those linked to birth, which accompanied women during and after their pregnancy. The term has been preserved to talk about the guests of people at the end of their life: we are talking about Doula end -of -life or thanadoula. Early, experienced women have been called to accompany birth and death. This is still the case today, especially in countries that do not have a care system similar to that of Western countries.
Doula is a person who is not from the medical world, but who is trained to be present, to accompany the dying people and their loved ones without anxiety, to help them by answering their questions, but also to support them psychologically, Spiritually and practical or administratively, according to demand. It is often a link between the dying, his relatives and the caregivers, by sharing and exchanging information.