Literature Review

The bereavement care crisis in hospice facilities MedCity News; by Cara McCarty Abbott; 7/28/24 Bereavement care is an essential part of the hospice experience, designed to support those coping with loss. Bereavement care is not just a compassionate gesture; it is a critical component of the hospice care continuum. So why is it so underserved in the U.S.? ... Instead of pushing harder on hospice providers to find more ways to deliver comprehensive bereavement care with less, it's key to address the systemic forces hampering their ability to deliver quality care at the scale required and address these challenges. Editor's Note: Additionally, does your hospice still rely on the misnamed, overused "5 Stages of Grief"? These were determined from 1960's persons who were dying, not from bereaved persons who live on--surviving--the death. Extensive fresh, contemporary, hospice-designed grief resources to support bereavement counselors and the persons they serve are provided by Composing Life Out of Loss, a sponsor for our newsletter.

“At home, even the walls help”: Exploring the palliative care needs, experiences, preferences, and hopes of older people with serious illness in Ukraine (July 2024) OCHA Services; by HelpAge; 7/24/24 Older Ukrainians living with serious illness face significant concerns and challenges within the political, environmental, and social context of the ongoing armed conflict, according to a new report published by HelpAge International, in partnership with HelpAge USA. ... The report highlights an innovative project funded by GlobalGiving which provides palliative care services in Ukraine. It underscores the profound challenges faced by older people due to the combined toll of disease and the ongoing war, and offers key recommendations to enhance their care and support. “Our findings reveal the unimaginable burden faced by older people living with serious illnesses in the midst of war. We are deeply grateful for the generous support of GlobalGiving, which has allowed us to highlight these issues and work to ensure that older people’s needs and preferences are included in healthcare system planning during humanitarian crises,” said Cindy Cox-Roman, CEO and president of HelpAge USA.

Positive aging: Can a broken heart kill you?

Fallen nurses are honored by ‘guards’ in white uniforms, capes and caps Radio Iowa; by Radio Iowa Contributor; 7/17/24 A hospital in southwestern Iowa is joining a national volunteer organization that pays tribute to nurses who have died or who are in hospice care. Registered nurse Sara Beth Jones spearheaded the effort to launch a local chapter of the Nurses Honor Guard at Cass Health in Atlantic. Jones says part of their uniform is to wear a cape that’s black on one side and red on the other, much like those worn by nurses who tended to soldiers in the 1800s. ... The Nurses Honor Guard is a comprised of current and former nurses. In addition to the funerals of nurses, they attend parades, honor walks and living tributes. Besides the cape, Jones says Honor Guard participants don the traditional white uniform and cap. 

Hospice heart appeal in memory of teenager BBC News, West Midlands, United Kingdom; by Andy Giddings; 7/16/24 A mother has shared the story of her "totally remarkable" daughter's final days in a hospice as she helps launch a fundraising campaign inspired by the 17-year-old. While Hannah Debney was cared for at Acorns Children's Hospice in Walsall, she made a heart shaped sculpture as a keepsake for her mother, Christine Debney. The hospice is appealing to the public to dedicate a metal heart to the memory of someone they have lost, which will form part of a display. Ms Debney said the hospice was "amazing" and added: "They allowed us as a family to be together during her final days. ... “Hannah said she wanted to tell the doctors to stop," Ms Debney said. "No-one should have to make decisions like that. It was Hannah who said she wanted to go to Acorns Children’s Hospice and to be transferred there.” Christine described her daughter as "the bravest person" she had ever known. Hannah died 15 days after she arrived, but while she was at Acorns she made keepsakes for her family. They included a cast of her hand in the shape of the heart for her mother, and that symbol inspired the Hannah’s Hearts Appeal.

Children experiencing grief can build coping skills with library storytime The Mountaineer, Waynesville, NC; by Jennifer Stuart; 7/13/24 Seasons of Grief Storytime will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 21, at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. This is a story time that aims to reach out to children experiencing grief, being held in partnership with Haywood Hospice and Palliative Care. The group will read a story and create a personalized keepsake. It is a program ideal for ages 5-10. The program is free, but registration is required.Editor's Note: This simple, meaningful support for children can be replicated easily with other local libraries, schools, community/faith groups. 

Supporting the grieving child and family: Clinical reportAmerican Academy of Pediatrics; by David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP; Thomas Demaria, PhD; Arwa Nasir, MBBS, MSc, MPH, FAAP; Sairam Kumar, MD, FAAP; Committee on Pyschosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health; Council on Children and Disasters; 6/17/24At some point in their childhood, the majority of children will experience the death of a close family member or friend. Approximately 1 in 20 children in the United States experiences the death of a parent by the age of 16. ... The death of someone close to a child often has a profound and lifelong effect on the child and results in a range of both short- and long-term reactions. ... This clinical report offers practical suggestions on how to talk with grieving children to help them better understand what has happened and its implications. An understanding of guilt, shame, and other common reactions as well as an appreciation of the role of secondary losses and the unique challenges facing children in communities characterized by chronic trauma and cumulative loss will help the [healthcare professional] to address factors that may impair children’s adjustment and to identify complicated mourning and situations when professional counseling is indicated. Advice on how to support children’s participation in funerals and other memorial services and to anticipate and address grief triggers and anniversary reactions is provided. ...Editor's Note: This significant article can be downloaded and shared with your organization's clinicians. For additional, ongoing resources, explore the National Alliance for Children's Grief. If your hospice provides specialized children's grief services, are they listed on the NACG's "Find a Support Center or Camp Near You" search engine? Click here to add or update your listing.

Gen Z prefers burial over cremation, reversing decades of preferences trending toward cremationPR Newswire; by National Funeral Directors Association; 7/9/24 There is no shortage of social commentary on how Gen Z is redefining norms and challenging older generations to think differently, from fashion to workplace culture. But what about their perspective on death and dying? A first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) offers definitive data to show how Gen Z thinks differently about end-of-life matters for themselves and their loved ones – as well as similarities with older generations. Notable differences between the generations highlight Gen Z's unique perspective, even compared to Millennials who are the closest in age, highlighting a pivot in end-of-life preferences to come:

How Hospice of the Chesapeake is innovating bereavement care, family support Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/4/24 Maryland-based Hospice of the Chesapeake has been pursuing innovation in its bereavement and caregiver support programs. The nonprofit hospice and palliative care provider offers grief care to its entire community regardless of whether a family member was one of their patients. Out-of-pocket payments for those services are on a sliding scale. To expand its reach, Hospice of the Chesapeake works with organizations like schools, senior living communities and other community partners, according to Faith Fitzgerald, director of community support programs for the hospice.

Hospice Palliative Care Society launches Rec Room Programs Prince George Citizen, British Columbia, Canada; by Citizen staff; 7/2/24 The Prince George Hospice Palliative Care Society (PGHPCS) is offering  new  Rec Room Programs, furthering the organization’s commitment to expanding hospice services for the community. This new addition aligns with the strategic goal of creating a space for individuals with life-limiting illnesses, their caregivers, and those grieving. The Rec Room is dedicated to promoting healing and wellness through meaningful connections and tangible support. Programs offered include:

KCAD grad Brianna L. Hernández explores intersection of art, death, and grief through prestigious Hyperallergic curatorial fellowship Ferris State University, Grand Rapids, MI; 6/25/24 As Brianna L. Hernández grieved the loss of her mother, she understood she was not alone in the experience and her thoughts turned to helping others. Her work to share the experience has earned recognition. Hernández, a 2016 graduate of the Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, was one of five people selected for the prestigious 2024 Emily H. Tremaine Journalism Fellowship for Curators ...  Every year, the fellowship offers five curators $5,000 to support their research while developing their journalistic skills. ... [Experiencing her mother's death] profoundly shifted her work toward a focus on death, and the living who are left behind to cope with loss. “As she was dying and right after she died, I knew I needed to make work about it for my own healing, but I also knew that my situation was not unique,” Hernández said. “I felt like it was of both artistic and social importance to put that out there in a way that hasn't been addressed.”

Narrating final memories from spousal loss: The role of place and quality of deathAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Emily L Mroz, Susan Bluck; 8/24Personal memories of the death of a spouse can guide bereavement adjustment. Place of death and quality of death are end-of-life factors that are likely to influence death experiences and formation of subsequent personal memories. The current study employs narrative content-analysis to examine how place and quality of death relate to affective sequences present in older adults' final memories from the death of their spouse. ... Final memories are carried with the bereaved long after their loss. Positive final memories appear to stem from witnessing a comfortable, medically appropriate death outside of a hospital setting. End-of-life 'that is' between care and aligned with patients' values for place and treatment may be critical for spouses' formation of constructive final memories and bereavement adjustment.Editor's Note: Per Yale press release: Emily Mroz, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Yale Department of Internal Medicine’s Section of Geriatrics, recently received the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) Edie Stark-Shirley Scott Early Achievement Award. The honor is presented annually to a woman in the initial years of a career in thanatology—the study of death, dying, and bereavement—who has distinguished herself through activity in scholarship, service, research, clinical practice, or social action.