Literature Review

Hiding in plain sight: A narrative review of non-parental relatives' perinatal griefJournal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care; Rennie Bimman, Nancy Graham; 3/25Perinatal loss frequently leads to disenfranchised grief, and members of family systems less proximate to the loss are at risk for additional disenfranchisement. Grandparents and siblings are especially vulnerable to complications in perinatal grief due to intersecting and disenfranchising factors of identity, including age, role within family, and type of loss. Evidence found attested to the uniquely complex grief experiences these populations face as a result of their confluent disenfranchisement, and their overwhelming lack of support and recognition. New insights uncovered may inform clinicians as they assess needs and provide support to these oft-ignored grievers. Significant research gaps remain in this subtopic, such as firsthand perspectives of nonparental grievers, data on other extended family members, and the effect of additional psychosocial stressors on nonparental perinatal grief.

Interventions for prolonged grief disorder in children and adolescents: A systematic reviewJournal of Child & Adolescent Trauma; Sarah Bondy, Haleigh Scott; 3/25 Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) was added as a new diagnosis to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). There is a need to tailor interventions to children and adolescent populations, but there is a lack of consensus on best practices for treating PGD in these populations. Interventions were grouped by modality including group treatments, hybrid treatments (combined group or individual therapy with family therapy), family treatment, and individual treatment. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Attachment Theory and Multidimensional Grief Theory were common theoretical bases for interventions and all shared elements of psychoeducation and integrating knowledge about the loss with existing knowledge. Results for each intervention were found to be generally positive in reducing PGD symptoms.

Heart & Soul: Nikki HarrisCharleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, WV; 4/8/25 Nikki Harris is a Charge Nurse on 4 West at Memorial Hospital. Harris’ coworkers say she always provides excellent care but went out of her way for one man who wasn’t even her patient. The man’s wife was near the end of life in Hospice at Memorial Hospital. He had not been able to see or visit her since his own hospitalization. Recognizing the importance of this moment, Harris went above and beyond by personally escorting him to his wife’s side. She ensured that he had the time he needed to hold her hand, express his love and say goodbye before her passing. Harris’ compassion and selflessness in providing this extraordinary gesture of care during such a difficult time was deeply appreciated. She made a meaningful difference in this patient’s life and honored the final moments of his wife’s life.

Nurse honor guard hoping to grow in South Dakota Sisseton Courier, Sisston, SD; by Brenner Cariveau; 4/4/25Nurse Honor Guard is a national organization which aims to honor the life of a nurse in funeral services. Traveling home, health and hospice nurse Laura Frankenhoff said the ceremonies help highlight the career of the nurses and is a way to ensure they are recognized for the work they have done as a nurse. Nurse Honor Guard has been performing ceremonies to honor the lives of nurses nationwide since their inception in the 1980s, Frankenhoff said. Regarding the honor guard, the base is made up of volunteers, according to Frankenhoff. "It's a volunteer chapter. You can make a chapter anywhere." Editor's note: Especially for pioneer hospice organizations--typically non-profits but definitely not all--do you honor those who laid the foundations for the work you're able to do now? If not, how can you? While nurses are absolutely core, how might you also honor your aides, social workers, chaplains, grief counselors, executives, office staff, and others who invested their talents and years in hospice care? May we remember. May we humbly thank and honor them.

The most personal column I’ve ever written The Times, United Kingdom; by Professor Tanya Byron; 3/31/25 ... This column will be more personal than any other I have written in my now 20 years writing for The Times. I write it four days after my sister Katrina and I lost our beloved mum, Elfie, who ... had advanced end-stage dementia. Where do we start when trying to describe the many moments of heartbreak and the challenges that come with the long goodbye we have faced with our parents? Dementia is unpredictable. We say goodbye more than once and so the pain of bereavement does not begin at the time of death. Instead it is a prolonged pain marked by gradual losses. Watching a loved one slowly fade away over months or years brings grief, exhaustion and deep emotional turmoil. Amid all this is the experience of being on a rollercoaster of loss and hope, an experience that creates huge lurches between perceptions and emotions. There are moments of clarity and regression, ... [Continue reading ...]

Foster Funeral Home helps Friends of Hospice provide children’ grief coping books to Hannibal, Mexico libraries Oswego County Today, Fulton, NY; 3/28/25 Foster Funeral Home has partnered with the Friends of Hospice in Oswego County (FOHOC) , to expand their program of offering books at local libraries to help children coping with grief and loss, said Klara Stellingwerf, manager, Foster Funeral Home. FOHOC launched the program in January by donating these books to the Oswego, Fulton and Pulaski public libraries, said Elena Twiss, FOHOC executive director. “Foster Funeral Home has helped us expand this program by donating these books to Hannibal public library and FOHOC donated them to the Mexico public library. ... There are book options for ages zero to eighteen-plus, and one of the books is even for adults to help assist parents in talking to their children about loss.”

Saying goodbye to Dad MidlandsLife; by Jeff Becraft; 3/27/25 I know my last article talked about my Dad moving on to Higher Ground, but while it is still fresh on my mind, I’m going to delve into the process of saying goodbye.  Perhaps it will resonate with someone who has already been down this path… or maybe someone who will be going down this path. I know that many people have been on a longer road than what I am going to describe. I won’t try to cover everything and there are some very significant things that are left out because of space; I will be simply giving my perspective on the overall experience of the last days. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: If you have to dive into only one article today, this is the one. If you have experienced the vigil of a loved one's final days, this likely gives voice to your journey: "Each day we thought was going to be Dad’s last. It was certainly a time of changing emotions." If you have not experienced this, read to learn common rhythms and themes, dissonances harmonies, and final release into death. Thank you Jeff Becraft for your meaningful reflection.

Carolyn Hax: Does sibling love justify traveling to abusive mom’s deathbed?The Washington Post, Washington, DC; 3/24/25 Sister asks the letter writer to join her at their dying mom’s bedside — despite their PTSD-inducing childhoods. [The rest of this article may require a subscription to The Washington Post.]Editor's note: Even if you're not able to access the full article, what does this question stir in you? Be aware that many family caregivers (or simply family members) face complex, conflicted relationships with the persons they are tending--or in this case, even considering visiting or not. Be attuned to these common, everyday occurrences that your direct care interdisciplinary team members regularly navigate. What family systems' education and support do you provide for them?

Mt. Hood Hospice to present third Grief Made Visible art exhibit in April Sandy Post, West Linn, OR; by Brit Allen; 3/23/25 Aside from in-home hospice services, Mt. Hood Hospice offers numerous other resources to the community, regardless of income or if they have any other ties to the organization. Among them are grief support groups that utilize art as a tool of healing. As a result of these groups, 16 artists will have the art that they created in these groups on display at AntFarm Café & Bakery, 39140 Proctor Blvd., throughout the month of April, from April 3-30, while the cafe is open. ... “This art show creates a space that normalizes talking about mental health and grief,” said Mt. Hood Hospice Bereavement Services Director Laura Lirette. “In a culture where grief is often experienced alone and behind closed doors, our hope is that this exhibit will invite conversations about grief and supporting grievers.”

Utah funeral home is first in state to offer "human composting" as a green alternative to traditional burials Salt Lake City Weekly, Salt Lake City, UT; by Aimee L. Cook; 3/19/25 ... Jason and Shayneh Starks, who opened [Starks Funeral Parlor in Millcreek] in 2005, offer their clients an innovative and environmentally conscious option—natural organic reduction (NOR), often called human composting. This process transforms the deceased into nutrient-rich soil over a period of 8 to 12 weeks. While the concept may sound unconventional to some, it's gaining traction with families in Utah and beyond, ... "We're seeing a lot of interest from environmentally conscious individuals who want a natural, meaningful way to return to the earth," observed Shayneh Starks, who has worked in funeral services since 1995. Natural organic reduction has already been legalized in states like Washington, Oregon and California, but Utah has yet to officially approve this process.  Currently, Starks Funeral Parlor assists families who wish to choose this option by transferring remains out of state to Seattle, ensuring that those who value NOR have access to it.

‘Dying people are incredible teachers’: Hospice nurse leans on personal loss experience to speak about end of life, write children’s books Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OH; by Beth Anspach; 3/20/25 Kim Vesey has experienced more than her share of loss. Her husband, Les, passed away in 2006 of colon cancer. “He died at home with Hospice care,” Vesey said. “Having worked in this area and experiencing it myself, this took it all to a much deeper level and changed my understanding of the process of grief.” ... She was hired for her first Hospice job in 1985. “It’s taught me a lot about life and living and what is important,” she said. “Dying people are incredible teachers.” ... After losing her husband, Vesey continued her work in Hospice care. Then in 2017, her daughter Sarah, who had struggled with severe asthma her entire life, passed away after going into cardiac arrest. She was just 29 years old and left behind a 4-year-old son, Warren. She was also pregnant with her second child. “My experience of losing my daughter shined a light on the struggle for children who are grieving,” Vesey said.“ ... Today, Vesey has published four books with two additional scheduled to be published this year, including a book about losing a beloved pet. ...

‘Innovative opportunities’ exist in growing need for trauma-informed bereavement care Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/11/25 Hospices may be seeing a growing need for trauma-informed bereavement services on the horizon. Shaping their grief support programs with this trend in mind will be pivotal to hospices’ ability to expand the depth and reach of their services. This is according to Chloe Bishop, bereavement and social work supervisor at Maryland-based Frederick Health Hospice. The community-based nonprofit provides hospice and palliative care, as well as grief support and veterans programs.Editor's note: For expert, professional continuing education, certifications, conferences, resources, and certifications that encompass the wide scope of bereavement care (including trauma), examine ADEC - the international Association for Death Education and Counseling.

[Ukraine] 'Support to the end’: Religious sister brings palliative care to unborn babies in Ukraine The Catholic World; by Hannah Brockhaus; 3/10/25 Since 2020, a pandemic and then an active war have caused untold tragedy for Ukrainians, but these circumstances have also allowed the country to confront death and grief in a way it never did before, according to a religious sister who offers palliative care to unborn children and their families. In Ukraine, “one couldn’t and wouldn’t talk about death before the COVID pandemic,” Sister Giustina Olha Holubets, SSMI, told CNA earlier this month. The more open a society is about death and loss and grief, she said, the easier it is to know how to respond to a family going through the pain of losing a child in the womb or shortly after birth. A Byzantine Catholic and member of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, Holubets has degrees in bioethics, psychology, biology, and genetics. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit organization “Perinatal Hospice – Imprint of Life” in Lyiv, Ukraine, which she currently leads. ...