End-of-life doulas complement the care provided by healthcare professionals at KCH.
The end-of-life doula volunteers at Kansas City Hospice work hand and glove alongside the hospice care team to enhance a patient’s care. The KCH hospice care team, composed of physicians, nurses, a social worker, a chaplain, volunteers, certified nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals, focuses on meeting the medical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual needs of the patient and their family members.
End-of-life doulas, sometimes called a death doula, are trained non-medical professionals there to supplement the emotional, mental and spiritual care patients and families receive, providing additional support and encouragement. Acting as facilitators, they often provide referrals and encourage families to accept support from various hospice disciplines, ensuring comprehensive care for the patients, their families, and their loved ones and caregivers.
Our KCH end-of-life doula volunteers offer holistic support in all the same locations the medical team goes: your home, a long-term care facility, or one of our two hospice houses.
All KCH end-of-life doulas have completed training through credible organizations such as International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA). Additionally, Kansas City Hospice requires end-of-life doulas to complete our comprehensive volunteer training and a day of shadowing both social workers and chaplains to help understand how their services will fit into the care team and its regimen.
Learn more about this program here.
Contact KCH Volunteer Coordinator Bonnie Krause at bkrause@KCHospice.org for more details or to get involved.
Tom Baker,
Missouri EOL Doula
I’m a father first — to three amazing young-adult children who continue to inspire me every day. Since September 2024, I’ve volunteered for Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care for vigil and companionship functions. I’ve also served as a co-facilitator for an adult grief group at Solace House Center for Grief & Healing, a program of Kansas City Hospice. I’ve also completed specialized training in hospice care, dementia caregiver support, and end-of-life doula services. I’m honored to walk alongside individuals and families as they try to come to terms with some of the most challenging moments of their lives.
In 2013, life called me in a new direction when my mother was diagnosed with dementia. For the next seven years, I was her advocate, seeking to ensure she received compassionate person-centered care. That experience changed me profoundly, catalyzing a deeper awareness of the obstacles encountered most often by patients and family caregivers in a time of distress and uncertainty.
I can now hold space for families struggling to understand the effects of dementia on their loved one’s final months, weeks and days. I’m happy to help in whatever role is most helpful to patients, families and our team.
Toni Page,
Missouri EOL Doula
I started volunteering at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care in 2017. I’ve been an in-facility volunteer, and more recently, I’ve been serving as a Compassionate Presence volunteer. From 2019 to 2024, I entered and graduated from Central Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree and completed Clinical Pastoral Education at a local hospital.
My personal and professional experiences have drawn me to end-of-life care, and becoming an end-of-life doula through the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) was the next logical step in my efforts to bring comfort and provide coaching and education about death and end-of-life care.
As an end-of-life doula, I have the opportunity to provide holistic care for the dying person as well as those caring for them. The doula role expands my ability to bring an extra layer of comforting presence to those whom I will be serving.
Just as birth is the beginning of a new life, death is the door through which we enter the next mystery. Death is sacred, and being present for and accompanying the dying is a sacred act. I look forward to continuing my work as part of the volunteer team at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care.
Kathy Benich,
Missouri EOL Doula
After caring for my late husband, John, during his cancer journey, I realized the importance of both practical guidance and emotional support in end-of-life care. With firsthand experience in grief and loss, I transitioned from a 30-year career in HR systems and healthcare advisory to become a death doula, focusing on grief support, loss navigation, and death literacy.
In 2023, I completed end-of life-doula training from the University of Vermont. I’m currently working toward a pediatric certificate from there as well. I also earned a certificate as a life coach and completed training with Francesca Arnoldy for death literacy and legacy project workshops. I founded Marigold Path to support caregivers and patients throughout the process.
Additional patient-centered roles include leadership roles with PIVOT (a patient research advocacy group with the KU Cancer Center), where I share my lived cancer experience to collaborate with researchers to bring the voice of the cancer patient. I also co-facilitate grief support groups with Solace House Center for Grief & Healing, a program of Kansas City Hospice. In addition, I’m secretary of two boards, Gilda’s Club KC, a resource to provide cancer patients with support and community and NEDA (National End-of-Life Doula Alliance), a professional association for end-of-life doulas.
Ashton Chapman,
Kansas EOL Doula
Ashton is an end-of-life doula with an extensive background in social psychology and a warm, grounded presence that brings both steadiness and compassion to her care.
Ashton’s path to this work has been shaped by deep personal experience, dynamic professional training, and a heart for journeying alongside others in moments of transition. She believes that the end of life deserves the same kind of intention and dignity we often reserve for beginnings, and she approaches this work with deep listening, emotional spaciousness, and a gentle respect for each person’s unique journey.
Drawing on her doula training and academic grounding in how people make meaning, Ashton offers support that is both tender and thoughtful. Her style is calm and companioning; it’s not about fixing, but about being fully present. Whether sitting in silence, holding space for legacy conversations, or offering simple but significant support, she considers it a privilege to be invited into the lives of others during such a sacred time.
Ashton lives in Fairway with her college sweetheart turned husband, Darren, and their 14-year-old pup, Brody. At any given moment you can find her reading poetry with hot tea in hand, playing with her watercolors, planning her next travel adventure, eating tacos (with extra hot sauce), or enjoying golden hour neighborhood strolls with her beloved boys.
Tasha Cook,
Kansas EOL Doula
I have been a certified end-of-life doula in the Kansas City area for many years. I graduated from the University of Kansas with my Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. After raising my children, I became interested in caring for the dying and those who love them. I completed the International End of Life Doula (INELDA) Certification and began volunteering for Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care.
Supporting families from hospitals to homes has been my life’s work. I approach all end-of-life scenarios with confidence and compassion, striving to listen attentively, offer resources, share my opinion when requested, and facilitate meaningful conversations and decisions. End-of-Life brings so much “to-do” while holding the tension of just wanting to be. EOL doulas offer the gift of time.
Our death stories, like birth stories, are passed down from generation to generation. The space of dying is a sacred one, and I am honored to help write the final chapter of your story with you.
In my free time I like to go to church, read, paint, grow flowers, and watch sports with my husband of 30 years at Lake Quivira.
Susan Littleton,
Kansas EOL Doula
I have always had a natural desire to nurture and to pour love and compassion into the lives of others. That calling led me to a career in nursing, where I spent over 25 years caring for people from all walks of life who were chronically or critically ill.
After sustaining an injury that removed me from nursing and significantly limited my life for several years, I entered a season of deep challenge and growth. Those years taught me invaluable lessons that now help me connect with and support others who are enduring difficult circumstances.
While helping to care for my birth mom during her final months, I was introduced to the concept of an End-of-Life Doula. The moment I learned about this role, it deeply resonated with my heart and spirit. I pursued certification through the Doulagivers program and have found it to be a profound honor and blessing to walk alongside individuals and their loved ones as they prepare for or experience the end of life.
My desire is to continue supporting people in finding the best possible quality of life during this natural stage and to encourage them to embrace the beauty, peace, and meaning it can hold.
Mary Mason,
Kansas EOL Doula
Mary’s path to end-of-life work began in a deeply personal way—walking alongside her parents during their final stages of life. That intimate experience sparked a calling to support others during this sacred transition.
She has worked in journalism, community relations and education, all of which have shaped her approach to doula work. She hopes to offer presence, listening, and grace to individuals and families navigating the end of life.
Mary lives in Shawnee with her husband, delights in time spent with her two daughters, their partners, and her first grandchild and she loves being outside kayaking, biking and hiking.
Debbie Muchison-Perri,
Kansas EOL Doula
I have been a part of the death industry since 2008. I had several people die in my family, including my son, who was killed in Iraq. He was in a country far away from home and we, his parents, were not there when died. So I decided to learn as much as I could about his death and that process allowed me the opportunity to work in a funeral home.
I learned so very much about how we treat those who die. I also went back to school and got a certification to be a Grief Provider. I work with TAPS, a military organization for survivors. There, I mentor families whose loved ones die in the military.
From there, I volunteered at Solace House as a greeter and co-leader for a mixed group for two years. I’ve participated in the Compassionate Presence Program for two years as well.
Last April, I went through a program that allowed me to be an end-of-life doula. The program was a way for me to take my own experiences and help others through their end of life.
It is my passion to help patients live the best end of life and to experience a good death.
Libby Rulo,
Kansas EOL Doula
Libby Rulo began her journey as an advocate for End of Life dignity which led her to the path of becoming a Doula. After retiring from a lifelong career in architecture and design, specializing in healthcare and the creation of healing environments, and much reflection, it became apparent that Libby’s role moving forward would be one of service. Having sat bedside with many family members and close friends, Libby realized that there is a need for compassionate care at the bedside of those that are transitioning. Through this realization, it became clear that she would be the one to provide, benefit, learn, grow and be of service to those who have long served, accomplished, experienced and are now transitioning to a new setting. Libby’s mission is to provide an environment, “where souls can be lovingly released.”
Amber Stenger,
Kansas EOL Doula
As a certified end-of-life doula, my goal is to help people experience greater meaning, comfort and peace as they navigate one of life’s most profound transitions. I am also a longtime volunteer (and huge fan!) of Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care.
For more than 15 years, I have served Kansas City Hospice in a variety of volunteer roles. I’ve provided companionship and respite care, sat vigil with patients, created audio keepsakes through Lasting Conversations and supported patients and families in both private homes and skilled nursing facilities. I also served as a co-facilitator for a preteen grief support group at Solace House, helping young people navigate loss and grief in a safe and supportive environment.
Becoming an end-of-life doula deepened my understanding of the emotional, practical and spiritual needs that can arise at the end of life. It also strengthened my appreciation for the vital role hospice teams play in supporting patients and families. I consider it a true privilege to collaborate with the dedicated professionals at Kansas City Hospice and to walk alongside individuals and their loved ones during this meaningful stage of life.