\n<\/p>\n
Nicole Kidman is drawing new attention to end-of-life care after revealing she\u2019s begun training to become a death doula.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Oscar-winning actor first shared the news during an appearance at the University of San Francisco, where she sat down for a conversation with journalist Vicky Nguyen as part of the university\u2019s Silk Speaker Series, according to the San Francisco Chronicle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kidman said she was inspired to explore becoming a death doula following the passing of her mother in 2024, an experience that shifted how she thinks about support in a person\u2019s final days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs my mother was passing, she was lonely and there was only so much the family could provide,\u201d Kidman told attendees, per the Chronicle. \u201cAnd that\u2019s when I went, \u2018I wish there was these people in the world that were there to sit impartially and just provide solace and care.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s part of my expansion and one of the things I will be learning,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kidman later expanded on her decision and the public\u2019s reaction to it during a HISTORYTalks<\/a> event in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI did this talk recently where I said I\u2019m expanding into learning to be a death doula, which seemed to have people confused or intrigued,\u201d she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kidman explained that she finds the work of death doulas \u201cfascinating\u201d and \u201cbeautiful,\u201d noting that \u201cyou have to be a certain personality to be able to do it. But I found out that I\u2019m actually that personality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important to me,\u201d she continued. \u201cThere is always suffering, but if there are people there who can help with that, help those final stages be less painful \u2014 if you feel the connection in your heart, then that\u2019s lovely. So that\u2019s what I\u2019m exploring.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kidman\u2019s announcement is bringing increased visibility to the need for death doulas and how they can improve end-of-life care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to The International End of Life Doula Association<\/a>, a death doula\u00ad \u2014 sometimes referred to as an end-of-life doula \u2014 is \u201ca nonmedical companion who provides personalized and compassionate support to individuals, families, and their circles of care as they encounter and navigate death, loss, and mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n They also advocate self-determination and impart \u201cpsychosocial, emotional, spiritual, and practical care to empower dignity throughout the dying process.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Unlike doctors, nurses, or other healthcare professionals, death doulas do not provide medical treatment. Instead, they often work alongside existing healthcare teams to offer a wide range of additional support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This support can include sitting with someone in their final days, helping facilitate difficult conversations, or assisting with end-of-life planning, such as advance directives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n In addition to Kidman\u2019s announcement, portrayals of death doulas in popular media are also bringing new attention to their role in healthcare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A recent episode of the popular medical drama \u201cThe Pitt\u201d featured a nurse acting as a death doula for a terminal patient as she navigated end-of-life care in the emergency department.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a recent interview with Healthgrades<\/a>, physician and death doula Shoshana Ungerleider<\/a>, MD, said portrayals like those seen in \u201cThe Pitt\u201d can have a real-world impact by helping people better understand end-of-life care and prompting them to think about their own wishes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ungerleider is also the founder of End Well<\/a>, a nonprofit focused on improving end-of-life care, and has worked to educate the writers of \u201cThe Pitt,\u201d helping guide the show\u2019s depiction of end-of-life moments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That growing awareness, she said, also highlights a deeper issue in how end-of-life care is delivered, and why she founded End Well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI saw a gap between how we die and how most of us say we want to die,\u201d Ungerleider said. \u201cOver and over, I witnessed patients spending their final days in environments that felt impersonal and overly medicalized. Conversations about what truly mattered were happening too late, or not happening at all.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI came to understand that dying is not primarily a medical issue. It is a human one,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Healthgrades is owned by RVO Health. By clicking on this link, we may receive a commission. Learn more.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Experts like Ungerleider applaud the increased visibility death doulas have been receiving, hoping it will lead more people to become interested in the field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI think we need more people who feel called to care for the dying and their loved ones. Death doulas play an important role,\u201d Ungerleider told Healthgrades. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe more we can reconnect to the human elements of living and dying and prepare for the end when it is near, the better. Death doulas are trained to do exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n