End-of-Life Doulas are becoming a more visible part of death care — but what do they actually do, how are they trained, and where do boundaries sometimes blur?

In this episode of The Final Touch, we take an honest, balanced look at the world of End-of-Life Doulas. We explore the history of the role, where doulas are most common, how families hire them, what services they provide, and what they typically cost.

We also talk candidly about real-world situations where doulas have run into trouble — including scope-of-practice issues, medical misinformation, and post-death complications — and why collaboration with hospice and funeral professionals matters so much.

This is not an episode meant to tear anyone down. It’s a conversation about transparency, ethics, and how death care works best when everyone understands their role.

If you’ve ever wondered whether an End-of-Life Doula is right for your family — or how they fit into the larger death care system — this episode is for you.

This week on The Final Touch, we’re peeling back the curtain on the part of the autopsy process that confuses families the most: toxicology.

We break down exactly how toxicology labs work — from choosing specimens to running screening tests, confirmatory testing, mass spectrometry, and why results often take weeks or even months.

You’ll learn what toxicologists look for, how decomposition changes the process, what samples can be used when blood isn’t available, and why interpreting results is just as important as the science itself.

If you’ve ever wondered what “pending toxicology” really means, this episode will give you clarity, insight, and a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most crucial steps in determining cause of death.

This week on The Final Touch, we go step-by-step through a standard forensic autopsy — from the first photograph to the final stitch. We break down the entire process: external exam, internal exam, toxicology, organ study, reconstruction, and how long each phase really takes.

You’ll also learn how autopsies change when a body is severely decomposed, how pathologists work with anthropologists and entomologists, and the rare situations where a traditional autopsy just isn’t possible.

Respectful, honest, and packed with insider knowledge: if you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the door of the autopsy suite, this episode pulls back the curtain. Perfect for funeral professionals, death investigators, true-crime listeners, and anyone who values transparency in death care.