Bereavement Services

Bereavement Services

Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak

Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break

Macbeth

Models of Bereavement

Five Stage Model

•Denial•Anger•Bargaining•Depression•Acceptance

Models of Bereavement

Tasks of Mourning

Accept reality of LossExperience pain of griefAdjust to changed environmentTo reinvest emotional energy

Models of Bereavement

Continuing Bonds•Tubingen Longitudinal Study of Bereavement (1991)•Only a small minority wanted to change their lives or seek a new partner (17%),•Many were seeking to integrate their loss into their life styles and carry on as before,•Many still sensed their spouse’s presence and searched for them (even after two years),•The deceased still had strong psychological influences over the way the bereaved organised and planned their lives, ‘consulting’ the deceased over major decisions,•A report by Shuchter and Zisook (1993) found that many bereaved continued to cherish and nurture the relationship with the deceased.

Models of Bereavement

Meaning Reconstruction

Relearning the World: Making and Finding Meanings

Bereavement as a difficult journey which begins by ‘suffering’:

•experiencing loss of wholeness;•having the lines of connection with larger-life contexts broken;•feeling helpless and powerless;•missing the physical presence of the loved one;•suffering ‘spirit’ and ‘soul’ pain.

Models of Bereavement

Meaning Reconstruction

Relearning the World: Making and Finding Meanings

Relearning takes place in each aspect of our world:- •Physical surroundings•Social surroundings•Our very selves, including our characters•Our own self-confidence and self-esteem•Our relationships with those who died

Models of Bereavement

Meaning Reconstruction

Relearning the World: Making and Finding Meanings

Grieving is a journey of the heart that brings us to the fullness

of life in the flesh and blood, here and now, and into the future with

those who still share the earth with us’.

Thomas Attig

Models of Bereavement

Dual ProcessLoss versus restoration orientation

Loss-orientation:•Dealing with or processing some aspect of the loss experience•Focusing on the relationship, tie, or bond with the deceased•Yearning for the deceased

Models of Bereavement

Restoration orientation:

•Adjustment to substantial changes•Mastering the tasks the deceased used to do (finances, cooking)•Arranging the reorganisation of life•Development of a new identity from ‘spouse’ to ‘widow(er)’ / ‘parent’ / ‘parent of deceased child’.

Bereavement Services

Palliative Care & End of Life

Bereavement is an inevitable part of our lives.

The process of grieving is a natural consequence of loss

Bereavement Services

A service will be offered to family and friends of adults who have been, or currently are, under the care of the Cancer and Palliative Care Teams

Bereavement Services

To offer appropriate and timely support to those who are about to be or are bereaved

Bereavement Services

Level 3SpecialistSupport

Level 2Bereavement

VolunteerSupport

Level 1 Family, Friends, Existing

Social Networks, Information

Bereavement Services

Case Example One“You’re not like other blokes.”

Case Example Two“This grief thing’s a funny old business.”

Bereavement Services

Contact Details:

•John Hayes (Bereavement Service Co-ordinator)Tel: 01922 602571e-mail: john.hayes@walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk

•Liza Burnell (Family Bereavement Support Worker)Tel: 01922 602572e-mail: liza.burnell@walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk

Walsall Palliative Care CentreGoscote Lane

Walsall WS3 1SJ

Any questions?

Thank you for listening