INELDA SUPPORTS PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FATAL ILLNESS WHILE HOMELESS
The International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA) announces it has partnered with Joshua’s House Volunteer Hospice in Sacramento, CA to provide end-of-life doula education for its hospice volunteers serving the terminally ill homeless people. INELDA offers customized end-of-life doula education for hospice organizations, but this will be its first educational program created specifically for those who are terminally ill and without housing. Joshua’s House will be the first facility of its kind on the U.S. West Coast and the brainchild of Marlene von Friederichs-Fitzwater, Executive Director at Health Communications Research Institute in Sacramento. INELDA special programs director Kris Kington-Barker will develop the end-of-life doula curriculum. The program will launch soon after construction is completed on the Joshua’s House 15-bed space in winter 2022.
Every year, approximately 13,000 of our nation’s homeless individuals die without benefit of shelter. In Sacramento, an estimated 1 – 2 homeless die each day. Joshua’s House will eventually shelter up to 20 residents at a time as well as provide art, music, and writing therapy; meals; and clothing in addition to compassionate hospice care. Incorporating end-of-life doula principles and practices into the hospice volunteer educational curriculum will expand hospice service provision with a non-medical care component.
The average life expectancy of a homeless person is currently just 50 years. Living without shelter, in poverty, creates medical vulnerability that can act as a co-morbidity for those already suffering a terminal disease, possibly accelerating the disease’s course. “A homeless person may be able to get treatment for a terminal illness, but they will be released to the streets to die. Joshua’s House aims to end this tragic history for those with no one else to turn to in their final days. The end-of-life doula expertise INELDA brings will make possible the restoration of dignity, love, and respect as part of our hospice care model,” said von Friederichs-Fitzwater.
“We are honored to be a partner in this effort to provide end-of-life care and compassion for people who are terminally ill while experiencing homelessness – one that has been vastly invisible and underserved nationwide,” said Kington-Barker. “INELDA enters this partnership understanding that the doula model, in this context, will evolve as we learn from the needs of those we serve. We also look forward to the evolution of the relationship of non-medical death doulas with the four healthcare systems that will be providing medical hospice care, and the nursing schools and physician residents who will also be offering support and learning in the process.”
ABOUT HRCI, INC. & JOSHUA’S HOUSE VOLUNTEER HOSPICE
The Health Communication Research Institute, Inc. is a nonprofit established in 1989 with a commitment to reduce health disparities through community-based research and program development. In 2015, HCRI, Inc. narrowed its focus to better understanding the healthcare needs of the homeless population; developing programs to address those needs; and creating Joshua’s House, a hospice center for the terminally ill homeless.
to help us expand our end-of-life work with homeless individuals.
Read more about our pro bono programs here.