Literature Review

Voices of Grief to host workshops for families victimized by funeral home Pikes Peak Courier, by Pat Hill; 3/18/24 In October, investigators with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office discovered 200 bodies that had not been cremated but rather were improperly stored, many of them for four years. The owners, Jon and Carie Hallford, have been arrested and face 200 felony charges. Of 1,200 families affected, 190 of them were directly impacted. ... [Kathy] Sparnins, [filmmaker and producer of the documentary “Voices of Grief,”] who lives in Woodland Park, was recently contacted by the FBI Victim Advocacy Program to work the families whose deceased loved ones were taken to Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose.

Sylvester researchers, collaborators call for greater investment in bereavement care NewsWise, by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; 3/15/24The public health toll from bereavement is well-documented in the medical literature, with bereaved persons at greater risk for many adverse outcomes, including mental health challenges, decreased quality of life, health care neglect, cancer, heart disease, suicide, and death.  ... Wendy G. Lichtenthal, PhD, FT, FAPOS, who is Founding Director of the new [Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer] Center and associate professor of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, noted, “We need a paradigm shift in how healthcare professionals, institutions, and systems view bereavement care. Sylvester is leading the way by investing in the establishment of this Center, which is the first to focus on bringing the transitional bereavement care model to life.”

New book addresses prolonged grief disorder diagnosis and treatmentHospice Foundation of America, press release 2/26/24Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) today announced the publication of Understanding Prolonged Grief Disorder, written and edited by some of the nation’s leading grief experts and healthcare professionals. Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) is a new diagnosis in the most recent version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.) Inclusion of PGD validates the occurrence of a disorder characterized by the persistence of pervasive, intense grief. With the possible exception of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this is the first time a loss-related condition has been identified as a diagnosable condition.

In the ICU, what is a good death? Understanding why clinicians and patients' families may disagree in Intensive Care Unit Northwestern Now, by Marla Paul; 3/7/24What is a good death for a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)? The answer to that question may depend on whether you ask a family member of a patient or the physician, who are not necessarily aligned. ... Approximately 20-30% of people who die in the U.S., die in the ICU, according to previous research. Nearly 60% of ICU admissions result in death. Wide discrepancies have been documented between a patient’s stated preferences and the end-of-life care actually delivered.

Some report images and manifestations of departed loved ones Chicaog Daily Herald, by Susan Anderson-Khleif; 3/9/24Not often, but sometimes, a person sees an image of a beloved or dear friend. A visual manifestation of their spirit, one you can actually see while awake. It could be very clear or more in a fog. It happened to me the middle of the night, two years ago. ... I had friends and readers who’ve told me of such happenings — of seeing images of dear ones — sometimes during times of stress, sometimes for seemingly no reason. It could be a voice rather than an image. Or some other sign that assures you they are around. Editor's Note: Susan Anderson-Khleif has a doctorate in family sociology from Harvard, taughts at Wellesley College, and is retired.

Mother and daughter brave Sahara trek in memory of beloved Grace for hospice fundraiser BNN, by Wojciech Zyim; 3/7/24Rebecca Gaskell and her daughter, Imogen, from Chalfont St Peter, are embarking on a moving journey across the Sahara Desert this March to honor the memory of their daughter and sister, Grace, while raising funds for Helen & Douglas House, the hospice that provided care for Grace during her battle with a brain tumor. Diagnosed at just 12, Grace’s brave fight ended two years later, leaving her family seeking ways to give back to the hospice that offered them comfort in their darkest times.Editor's Note: The Helen & Douglas House for terminally ill children is located at Oxford, United Kingdom. 

Transforming tragedy into triumph: Lynne Hughes creates grief camp, helping 24,000 children BNN, by Emmanuel Abara Benson; 3/6/24Lynne Hughes' journey from personal tragedy to establishing Comfort Zone Camp (CZC) spotlights the transformative power of empathy and support. Losing both parents by age 12, Hughes navigated her grief with little support, a struggle that later fueled her mission to ensure no child felt as isolated in their sorrow as she did. Today, CZC stands as a beacon of hope, having supported over 24,000 grieving children across the United States. 

Hospice launches Mothers Day tribute page Newrie.ie; 3/3/24Southern Area Hospice has launched an online tribute page ahead of Mother’s Day, providing a platform for individuals to remember their mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures who have passed away. Visitors to the Mother’s Day online tribute page can leave messages, share stories, and upload photographs of their loved ones. The page also allows individuals to read other dedications, fostering a sense of community and remembrance. 

Writing condolence cards supports nurses as well as deceased patients’ families ONS Voice, by Casey S. Kennedy; 2/29/24During extended treatment and end-of-life care, patients, their family and caregivers, and the healthcare team can form close bonds and relationships. Those ties are abruptly severed when a patient dies, leaving each party to grieve alone. For healthcare professionals, sending a condolence card can provide closure for themselves and support for a deceased patient’s family, a team of nurses reported in an article published in the December 2023 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

Embracing the platinum rule in palliative care: Treating patients the way they want to be treated Anschutz, by Tari Advani, MD; 2/26/24 One of the first take aways from this journey, for me, in a mid-career directional change from emergency medicine to palliative care was a move away from the golden rule and towards the platinum rule. Treat patients the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated. It is so simple, it allows people to exist in their own context, with their own histories and their own wishes. And, we, as caretakers, take the kind of care of them that they want. Where had that idea been during the past 20 years of my career? How many situations had I judged, wrongly, based on my own preferences, not the preferences of the patient.

Communicating with patients with hearing loss or deafness—Can you hear me? JAMA Intern Med, by Dianne P. O'Leary, PhD and Timothy J. O'Leary, PhD, MD... Virtually all health care professionals want to provide the best possible care and to communicate as effectively as possible. However, ... frequent communication failures are leading to inferior care for the hearing impaired. Effective communication might require some or all of the approaches listed in [this article].

More than $37,700 raised to fund grief and loss support for children in SWFL Avow Foundation Press Reslease; 2/26/24Avow [Hospice] raised funds throughout January as part of a matching gift campaign with St. John’s Episcopal Church, resulting in more than $37,700 donated in support of the Avow Kids program. St. John’s Episcopal Church pledged to match dollar-for-dollar up to $17,350 for children’s grief and loss support, a goal Avow achieved well before the end of the month.

Not all mourning happens after bereavement – for some, grief can start years before the death of a loved one The Conversation, by Beth Daley; 2/22/24For many people, grief starts not at the point of death, but from the moment a loved one is diagnosed with a life-limiting illness. Whether it’s the diagnosis of an advanced cancer or a non-malignant condition such as dementia, heart failure or Parkinson’s disease, the psychological and emotional process of grief can begin many months or even years before the person dies. This experience of mourning a future loss is known as anticipatory grief.Editor's Note: All clinical team members need to be equipped to tune into and validate grief that is already underway. Social workers and chaplains--especially--need to be trained to tend grief in the present, and to know how to make high-acuity referrals to bereavement counselors.