Comprehensive Bereavement Program Research Articles

Empowering Bereaved Parents Through the Development of a Comprehensive Bereavement Program

Parents who experience the loss of a child have unique and valuable insights into the grief journey and can help health care providers identify key components intrinsic to the development, implementation, and maintenance of a comprehensive bereavement program. The bereavement program at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was developed by pediatric palliative care experts in collaboration with bereaved parents to standardize and improve the institutional support provided to families around and after the death of a child. This article describes the components of a parent-derived bereavement program and presents early results on the effects of specific program components. The program, under the leadership of the bereavement coordinator, includes clinical and supportive interventions offered throughout the grief journey, parent-created bereavement support materials, and opportunities for parents and families to participate in research, quality improvement initiatives and educational interventions. Parents report that services and interventions provided through the bereavement program are beneficial to families after the death of their child. In addition, both health care providers and bereaved parents report that participation in educational interventions positively impacts their experiences as clinicians and parents, respectively. The innovative nature of this parent-driven, comprehensive bereavement program may serve as a paradigm for the development of bereavement programs in the fields of pediatrics, palliative oncology and hospice and palliative medicine.

Helping parents live with the hole in their heart: The role of health care providers and institutions in the bereaved parents' grief journeys.

Bereaved parents experience significant psychosocial and health sequelae, suggesting that this population may benefit from the ongoing extension of support and resources throughout the grief journey. The interaction of hospital staff with patients and families at the end of a child's life and after death profoundly affects parental grief, offering a unique opportunity for the medical community to positively impact the bereavement experience. The current study was conducted to explore the role of the health care team and medical institutions in the grief journeys of parents whose child died a cancer-related death. Eleven bereaved parents participated in 2 focus groups. Responses to each of the 3 main prompts were coded and analyzed independently using semantic content analysis techniques. Four main concepts were identified within the parental narratives, including the importance of strong and ongoing relationships between providers and bereaved families, the importance of high-quality communication, the effect of negative experiences between providers and families on parental grief, and the importance of the institution's role in the grief journeys of bereaved parents. Bereaved parents consistently identified the critical role played by medical staff and medical institutions throughout the grief journey. Key components of bereavement support identified by parents should serve to guide the actions of providers as well as provide a template for the development of a comprehensive bereavement program within an institution. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society. Cancer 2016;122:2757-2765. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Parental Grief Following the Death of a Child from Cancer: The Ongoing Odyssey.

The death of a child is a devastating event that results in profound grief and significant psychosocial and physical morbidities in parents. The parental grief journey is a complex phenomenon necessitating the utilization of newer models of bereavement with a focus on relationships and exploration of parents' perceived meanings of the experience. To further characterize the grief journey of parents whose child died from cancer in order to better identify parents who can benefit from additional bereavement support and design strategies to improve bereavement services for these parents. We conducted focus group sessions with 11 bereaved parents. The parents were given two prompts to describe their grief journey before and after their child's death, and their responses in a narrative form were audio-recorded. The responses were coded and studied independently by semantic content analysis. Collation and analysis of the coded responses to both prompts results in the emergence of four concepts from the parental narratives: (1) description of the grief trajectory and evolution of grief over time, (2) mechanisms of parental coping throughout the grief journey, (3) factors that exacerbate parental grief, and (4) sources of parental support throughout the grief journey. The narratives highlighted that parents whose child died of cancer experience a unique and evolving form of grief and they wish to continue their bond with the deceased child. We recommend that healthcare providers and institutions incorporate support systems into a comprehensive bereavement program for families of children who die from cancer.

Empowering Bereaved Parents in the Development of a Comprehensive Bereavement Program (SA503)

Empowering Bereaved Parents in the Development of a Comprehensive Bereavement Program (SA503)

Empowering bereaved parents in the development of a comprehensive bereavement program.

47 Background: The death of a child poses special challenges to both bereaved families and staff. Each individual's grief journey is unique and ongoing; however, common themes and support systems help to define successful bereavement services. Bereaved parents who have experienced the loss of a child have special insight and can help to identify the key components necessary for the development and implementation of a comprehensive bereavement program. Methods: The bereavement program at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is multifactorial and involves both supportive services and useful resources that have been developed by parents who have lost a child to cancer at our institution. Results: The program begins with anticipatory bereavement services prior to death by the bereavement coordinator and Palliative Care team. Following the child’s death, a bereaved parent mentor is offered and available. These mentors have been trained how to identity and triage abnormal or concerning behaviors and how to obtain additional psychosocial support for at risk families. The materials include a parent-created a resource manual with parent and sibling with recommended books, websites, and other helpful references. Parents developed a booklet containing reflective pieces and several videos describing difficult moments in their grief journey to provide a support to other parents, siblings, and staff. Finally, they designed and illustrated communication cards to be sent to all bereaved families at key time points during the first two years following a child’s death. Conclusions: The innovative nature of this program with multiple components of the parent-driven comprehensive bereavement program can serve as a paradigm for the development of others programs and for the field of hospice and palliative medicine as a whole.

Bereavement: Caring for Families and Friends after a Patient Dies

New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is a large academic medical center that provided minimal, if any, bereavement support to families and loved ones of patients who died in the hospital. A comprehensive bereavement program was developed and implemented which included sending condolence cards to family members and friends, follow-up phone calls to screen for complicated grief, individual counseling, bereavement support groups, community referrals, and an annual memorial service for families and staff to provide an opportunity for shared mourning during the grieving process.

Pediatric Bereavement: Supporting the Family and Each Other

Childhood deaths are relatively uncommon but very stressful to both family members and health care providers. Bereavement programs are helpful in guiding and supporting the family into and through the bereavement process. Trauma nurses are vital members of the bereavement team. This article briefly describes and current literature on the subject of bereavement outlines the components of a comprehensive bereavement program and lists current challenges for nurses in this important area of nursing.

Development of a bereavement program in a tertiary medical center.

Despite the fact that our institution has approximately 40 inpatient deaths per month, until recently virtually no support was provided to families/friends of the deceased. We developed and implemented a comprehensive bereavement program to prepare individuals for the loss and also to support them through the grieving process.

BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT FOR COUPLES FOLLOWING DEATH OF A BABY: PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND 14-YEAR EXIT ANALYSIS

Program development, implementation, and a 14-year exit analysis of a bereavement support program for couples whose baby died in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is presented. A closed, hospital-based, time-limited (12 weeks) format was used. Team leadership was used and 54% of bereaved NICU parents participated. Each group was structured with a 2-week introductory period, open format grief-focused weekly discussions, evaluation in Week 11, and summary session with termination in Week 12. The exit analysis details program strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. Bereavement support groups are one part of what we contend should be a comprehensive bereavement program, organized to care for families prior to, during, and after a baby's death. A sensitive, spiritually aware, supportive environment should be maintained throughout with relationship building as a cornerstone of the program.

A Comprehensive Pediatric Bereavement Program

The death of a child is one of the most painful experiences a parent can endure. Communicating and meeting the needs of parents during this time of crisis is a challenge for nurses. Pediatric intensive care unit and emergency department nurses who may feel overwhelmed and inadequate when working with grieving families, especially with a sudden and unexpected death, are assisted by "The Patterns of Your Life: A Comprehensive Pediatric Bereavement Program." The program is a blending of critical pathways (an element of managed care), educational resources, and family follow-up for 1 year. Preliminary evaluations indicate that the comprehensive bereavement program appears to have many benefits for families and health care staff alike.

A Comprehensive Pediatric Bereavement Program

The death of a child is one of the most painful experiences a parent can endure. Communicating and meeting the needs of parents during this time of crisis is a challenge for nurses. Pediatric intensive care unit and emergency department nurses who may feel overwhelmed and inadequate when working with grieving families, especially with a sudden and unexpected death, are assisted by “The Patterns of Your Life: A Comprehensive Pediatric Bereavement Program.” The program is a blending of critical pathways (an element of managed care), educational resources, and family follow-up for 1 year. Preliminary evaluations indicate that the comprehensive bereavement program appears to have many benefits for families and health care staff alike.

The development of a comprehensive bereavement program to assist families experiencing pediatric loss.

One of the most difficult situations encountered by pediatric nurses is dealing with families experiencing the death of a child. This article describes the development of the H.O.P.E.S. Program (Healing of Parents Experiencing Sorrow), a comprehensive bereavement program designed to assist families who have experienced pediatric loss. This program has been well-received by both families and staff and has enabled staff to interact more confidently with families at a very difficult time in their lives.

A Comprehensive Bereavement Program

This case study illustrates how one woman was able to take advantage of a variety of hospice bereavement services. In addition to attending monthly social support group meetings and six therapeutic support group sessions, Lillian received 12 home visits or approximately 18 hours of individual support. Not all hospice survivors became so intensely involved in the follow-up services programs offered by Hilltop Hospice. During the five-year period, 1980-1984, approximately 80% of the hospice survivors, or 200 clients, received some form of direct bereavement services; most of the others were provided with supportive correspondence throughout their first year of bereavement. Although approximately 10% of the hospice survivors became involved in the social and the therapeutic support groups, in addition to receiving individual support, most survivors found the individual support services to be sufficient. However, in hospice programs where resources are limited and not all survivors can be assigned a volunteer, support groups can be designed to compensate for a lack of available volunteers. A comprehensive hospice bereavement program takes into account not only the varying resources of the hospice but the individual characteristics of survivors as well. Because clients' grief experiences differ, as well as their personalities, coping styles, and circumstances, a hospice should be prepared to offer a variety of bereavement services. In addition, surviving family members may be more likely to accept follow-up support from the hospice team if they can choose a particular service to meet their individual needs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)