At Home with Erika Call(240) 925-5145
Erika, in a black jacket, walking with a small group down a leafy woodland path in early fall, seen from behind.

Walking beside you, one step at a time.

Every family is different, so I tailor what I do to your needs. We start with a free consultation and take it from there. My fees are listed below.

A steady companion, alongside your medical team.

An end-of-life doula is a trained, non-medical companion for people who are dying and the people who love them. A birth doula helps at the beginning of life; I help at the end. I’m certified by INELDA, the International End-of-Life Doula Association.

I’m not a nurse or a doctor. I don’t provide medical care, and I don’t give legal or financial advice. I work alongside your doctors, your hospice team, and your family, and when you need something I don’t do, I’ll help you find the right person.

First, a free half-hour consultation

By phone, video, or in person, whichever you prefer. We meet, you ask anything, and we see if I’m the right fit.

Reach out whichever way is easiest for you:

Call or text (240) 925-5145 Email AtHomeWithErikaRBK@gmail.com

My fees

These packages are examples of the ways I can help. When we sit down together, we’ll talk about what matters most to you and plan our time together around it. One family wants a memory box for the grandchildren; another wants someone beside them at the doctor’s office.

Outside a package, my standard rate is $100 an hour.

Sitting together

An unhurried first visit at your kitchen table

$250at least an hour

I come to you, and we talk about what’s happening, what worries you, and what you want. Bring anyone you’d like to have at the table. Family who live far away can join by phone or video.

I’ll leave you with

  • a look at where things stand: what’s already in place, like a health care proxy, a will, and your wishes in writing, and what isn’t yet
  • the next three steps for your situation
  • the questions to ask your doctors and your family

While there’s time

Planning ahead, together

$4505 hours

For anyone who wants to prepare, whether the end feels near or far away. Together we talk about what matters most and write it down in one place, so the people you love know what you want.

This can include

  • what matters most to you, and what you want your last days to look like
  • where you want to be, who you want with you, and how you want your space to feel: lighting, music, readings, prayers, or quiet
  • discussing your wishes in words your family and doctors can follow
  • a memory box, letters to be opened later, recordings, recipes, and the stories your grandchildren will want someday
  • sorting through belongings, and deciding what goes to whom
  • knowing when to consider next steps, and how to talk about them with your doctors and family

Care alongside you

Support for the long road

$1,40015 hours

For people living with a serious illness, and the families caring for them. I can be the steady person who helps keep everything moving, for as long as you need.

This can include

  • coming with you to doctor’s appointments, to help ask the questions and remember the answers
  • helping coordinate care among your family, your aides, and your hospice team
  • keeping track of what’s been decided and what comes next

Presence at the end

In the last days, and the weeks after

$1,00012 hours

When death is near, I come and I stay.

This can include

  • planning the vigil together: who is in the room, and what it sounds and feels like
  • sitting with you, day or night, so you are never alone unless you want to be
  • explaining what is happening as the body changes, so it is less frightening
  • giving your family time to rest, eat, and step outside
  • being there in the first hours after the death, and helping your family with what comes next
  • checking in over the weeks that follow, and helping you find grief support

If someone you love has already died and you’re carrying it alone, start with a free consultation.

Ask me anything.

How are you different from hospice?

Hospice provides medical care: nurses, medicines, and equipment. I’m the steady person beside you, with time to sit, explain, and help your family through each day. I work alongside your hospice team, never in their place.

Do I have to be on hospice?

No. Many people call me long before hospice, and some never use it. When a hospice team is involved, I work alongside them.

Is it too early to call?

It’s almost never too early. The easiest time to talk about the end is long before it comes.

Is this for me, or for my family?

Both. Much of my work is with the person who is dying, and I care for the whole circle around them, too: spouses, children, friends, and the neighbor who keeps bringing soup.

Where do you work?

In your home, or wherever you are: the hospital, assisted living, or a nursing home. I work across Dutchess County and the Hudson Valley.

Is this covered by insurance?

Doula care is paid privately. It isn’t covered by Medicare or most insurance plans. That’s why I list my fees here.

Let’s sit down together.

It starts with a free consultation by phone, video, or in person. Then we sit down at your kitchen table and talk about what’s really happening and what would help.

(240) 925-5145AtHomeWithErikaRBK@gmail.com

The first consultation is free. The first visit is $250, and it counts toward anything more we do together.