Death and Grief Literacy in the Family

Abstract

Death, which begins with the birth of a living, is the biological end of life in an unknown time. As the biological existence of the deceased comes to an end, the grief, which includes different feelings and thoughts, emerges for the other relatives who continue to live. The aim of this review is to describe death and grief literacy and explain its importance in the family. Death and grief literacy aims to provide educational and empowering information on subjects such as making sense of their lives that begin with birth and end with death, the phenomenon of death and loss through death, the phenomenon of grief and and continuing life with grief. There are four dimensions of death literacy in the literature. These dimensions are defined as practical knowledge (talking support, doing hands on care), experiential knowledge, factual knowledge and community knowledge (others can help me provide end of life care, support groups in my community). There are three dimensions in grief literacy. These are knowledge, skills and values dimensions. Many factors such as the relationship with the deceased, how the death occurred, the mood of the grieving individual, and culture affect the dimensions of death and grief literacy. Death and grief are multidimensional issues. Therefore, many disciplines are responsible for the development of literacy in these areas. The family is the basic social unit in which people feel safe, interact, experience and share. The death of a family member can be a devastating for other survivors. It is important to understand the death and grief correctly and to develop the ability to experience it, in order to provide a correct and effective attitude towards life. In this context, it is thought that the development of death and grief literacy in the family will clarify many issues such as the phenomenon of death, the effect of the death of a loved one on the individual and the family, grief reactions, how to talk about death with children and adolescents, the effective role of family communication, the importance of social support, and the components of the grief. It is very important for family members to have death and grief literacy, to make sense of the death and grief of individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one, to recognize their grief reactions, to return to their former functionality and to become stronger.