It’s 2026 so you’ve probably heard of a birth doula before, but have you heard of a death doula? If you follow the news or watch TV, you may have seen that Nicole Kidman and the director of Hamnet are both training to be death doulas, or seen a death doula on the show “The Pitt.” A death doula is essentially a support person who cares for a dying person their caregivers, and anyone else in their circle of support at end of life. They can provide help with end of life planning, like talking through an advance directive and helping you decide where to store it and who to share it with, curate a vigil plan for when someone is going through an actively dying period, and provide after-death support such as by explaining what paperwork is needed by a funeral home or in the event that someone is planning a home funeral, connect any family or loved ones to grief support resources, and so much more.
Join this informational session if you would like to learn more about death doulas in the greater Philadelphia area, and see if they might be a good option for you or someone you know.
Bio of presenter:
Isabel Knight is the Founder of The Death Designer, a company that provides end of life planning services, including funeral and vigil planning, digital account password management, advance directives, and assistance with reconciling fears of mortality. She takes a human-centered design approach, with a focus on promoting individual autonomy, sustainability, and home deathcare options. Her goal is to create a more humane and equitable end of life experience for all.
Additionally, Isabel is a volunteer for Philly Community Deathcare, a group that assists people with after-death care in Philadelphia for free and a board member of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Pennsylvania, a group that promotes funeral consumer rights and publishes funeral price lists for price shoppers. You can find her on Instagram at @thedeathdesigner.