Literature Review

Offering ‘emotional first aid’ to people in shock over a sudden deathLas Vegas Review-Journal; 12/30/23When first responders in Clark County encounter relatives, friends, co-workers and bystanders upset about a sudden death, they contact volunteers of the Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada to come to the scene. 

Hodge PodgeKDLM-AM (Detroit Lakes, MN); 12/28/23Connie DeKrey, grief specialist for Hospice of the Red River Valley, talks about how to move on after a loss, but stressed that everyone deals with loss differently. “New Years has its own set of emotions that are prompted. For instance, families have gathered from a distance, and traveled, and there’s a real anticipation of that. But at some point everyone has to go home again and so that extra support and connection ... it can be a real letdown when everyone has to go back to their own homes. There can be some hesitancy, even dread, about beginning the new year without that loved one. But there might also be a sense of hope or expectancy of something positive.”[Editor’s Note: To listen to the 7-minute interview, click here.]

Palliative Care Consultation and Family-Centered Outcomes in Patients With Unplanned Intensive Care Unit AdmissionsJournal of Palliative MedicineJamie T Nomitch, et.al.December 25, 2023Context: Hospitalized patients who experience unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admissions face significant challenges, and their family members have unique palliative care needs. Objectives: To identify predictors of palliative care consultation among hospitalized patients with unplanned ICU admissions and to examine the association between palliative care consultation and family outcomes.Conclusions: For patients experiencing unplanned ICU admission, palliative care consultation often happened after transfer and was associated with illness severity, comorbid illness, and hospital site. Patient death was associated with family symptoms of psychological distress.

Share your story of grief with USA TODAYUSA Today, 12/24/23[USA Today is offering readers the opportunity to share their personal grief experiences by completing a two-page survey.] We know so many people are grieving losses of all kinds: children, parents, pets, jobs, identities. It can help to talk about it—and sometimes writing can be an outlet. We encourage you to share your story with us.

Christmas tree dedicated to those who died in hospice care in 2023 stolen in EllensburgSource One (Columbia River Basin, WA)December 18, 2023Ellensburg, WA—In an unfortunate turn of events, a treasured Christmas tree, integral to a local hospice care volunteer group’s annual remembrance event, was reported stolen this past weekend. Hearts & Hands of Kittitas County, formerly known as Hospice Friends, has been a beacon of compassion and support in Ellensburg, dedicating their time to assist those in hospice care. The stolen tree, a centerpiece for their “Tree of Love” event, was intended to honor individuals served by the organization who passed away in 2023. This significant event, originally scheduled for January 25, 2024, not only serves as a memorial but also plays a crucial role in fundraising efforts for the group.

Grieving amid holidays is hard. Hospice can helpTimes Union (Albany, NY)December 16, 2023The holidays can be challenging, more so for those dealing with the loss of a loved one. ... “We have lots of experience dealing with death and grieving,” said Angela Yu, manager of marketing and communications, continuing care at St. Peter’s Health Partners. She said the hospice has also developed Holiday Hope videos on how to cope. They are posted on Facebook. 

Anderson Cooper’s Newest Assignment—Grief (His Own)New York TimesDecember 17, 2023It took Anderson Cooper more than a year after his mother’s death to begin clearing out her apartment. It was an emotionally draining task, one that he put off—something his mother may have anticipated, because she left him a road map. He began finding notes she had left him, tucked away in drawers and sealed containers. Written in her hand on heavy stationery, they acted as a kind of treasure hunt to their shared grief. Mr. Cooper’s mother, the heiress and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, was one of the most famous women in the world, courted by Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, photographed by Richard Avedon, and a muse to Truman Capote, who is believed to have based the character of Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” partly on her. Just sorting through her personal papers would have been challenging for her son after her death at the age of 95 in 2019. But the apartment was also the final resting place of objects that belonged to Mr. Cooper’s father, Wyatt Emory Cooper, an author and screenwriter who died in 1978 when Anderson was 10, and his older brother, Carter Cooper, who died in 1988, when they were both in their 20s, after jumping from his mother’s balcony.... Mr. Cooper, 56, began keeping voice memos on his phone as he was sorting through his mother’s belongings in 2021. They grew into a podcast on grief, “All There Is With Anderson Cooper,” which began its second season in November. For decades, the longtime anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360°” has chronicled other people’s suffering. Now, he has become a correspondent from the land of his own grief.

Community comes together to trim tree of treasured memoriesDaily Star (Hammond, LA)December 16, 2023Hammond, LA—On the morning of Saturday, Dec. 9, members of the community came together for a standing-room-only remembrance celebration and to trim a Christmas tree with hand-picked ornaments symbolizing treasured memories of their loved ones. The “Memory Tree Remembrance Celebration” carries on a 31-year tradition that a!rms the lives of former hospice patients. Held in the E. Brent Dufreche Conference Center on the campus of North Oaks Medical Center, it is one component of North Oaks Hospice’s bereavement counseling and support services provided to families and caregivers for one year following the death of their loved one.

For those who have lost loved ones, Fargo woman’s memory bears make grief easier to bearDickinson (ND) PressDecember 14, 2023Fargo, ND—... Anne Kidder couldn’t agree more. The Fargo seamstress/crafter has found memorial gifts like her memory bears are her most popular product line. In addition to the bears, she also makes memorial elephants, lions and even unicorns. For parents who have lost a child to miscarriage or stillbirth, she makes a line of smaller bears, which can be weighted to the weight of the child at the time they were born. In addition, she makes memorial pillows, framed and embroidered wall hangings, holiday ornaments, keychains and quilts.

How did I honor my mother’s death? By creating a holiday.By Margo RabbWashington PostDecember 14, 2023... For a long time, I had grappled with how to spend the anniversary [of the death of the author’s mother, Renée]. I had never observed it before—normally, I pretended it wasn’t happening—but a quarter-century seemed too momentous to do nothing. My mother had died when I was still in my teens, nine days after being diagnosed with cancer. 

Phones ‘connected to nothing but love’ donated to Westport LibraryWestport (CT) JournalDecember 13, 2023Westport, CT—Lynda Shannon Bluestein is nearing the end of her life. In January, the 76-year-old will travel to Vermont where, surrounded by family, she will end the suffering she has experienced from three bouts of cancer in a state where aid-in-dying is permitted. Bluestein, however, first had to sue the state of Vermont, winning her case in June, to allow a non-resident to end her life there. On Wednesday, she plans to give the Westport Library a gift that may help others, especially children, express and process grief when they lose a loved one. Bluestein will donate two “wind phones”—rotary-dial phones that are not connected to anything—that people of all ages can use to speak about their loss and memories of a loved one who has passed away. 

Moving through the holidays with grief—crafting a plan can helpMorgan Messenger (Berkeley Springs, WV)December 12, 2023Christmas and winter holidays are portrayed as festive, bright and jolly times to celebrate and enjoy life. But the holidays can look and feel different for someone who has lost a loved one, is in the midst of major illness, or for someone who has suffered a traumatic event that’s brought significant change to their lives. Navigating the balance between celebration and grief is unique for everyone. Grief Counselor Deanna Rudy of Hospice of the Panhandle said acknowledging the change in life is an important step in making this holiday season manageable for families.  

Experts offer suggestions for dealing with holiday anxiety and depressioMacomb (MI) DailyDecember 10, 2023At this time of year, everywhere around there are full of holiday images of family gatherings, brightly lit trees, lavish gifts and tables laden with rich foods, beverages and desserts. For those whose depression and anxiety is triggered by the holiday season and those who have lost a loved one, a treasured pet, or even a job and are grieving, the holidays can be tough to navigate. “One of the things we do say is to know your own limitations,” said Karen Monts, practice manager of Counseling Services at Hospice of Michigan. “Don’t feel pressured to do things a certain way or allow images on television to get into your mind so that you feel like everyone is having a wonderful holiday except you, because we know that is not the case.” Monts says trying to plan ahead for the holiday can help to alleviate stress and depression. “You know this is going to be a different holiday without that loved one, so try and figure out what works for you,” Monts said. ... Monts advises people who are experiencing grief, anxiety and depression at the holidays to use the “AIM” method to sort out their emotions: access what you are feeling; identify what you are experiencing; and manage what you do in response to those feelings.