Aftercare

Canine’s Definition  “any postdeath or postfuneral program of survivor rehabilitation designed to help the individual through the grief process and successfully readjust to his/her environment”

Sociological Factors  Preindustrial Societies  Postindustrial Society  Technological Advances  Absence of a Cohesive Structure

Psychological Factors  Timeliness  Preventability  Fulfillment of the Deceased’s Life  Context of the Death  Secondary Losses

Purpose of Aftercare  “to facilitate the process through reassurance, education, permission to express thoughts and feelings, and social support within a nonjudgmental framework” (Canine)

Requirements of a Bereavement Program  Rando’s 7 steps: 1) make contact and assess 1) make contact and assess 2) maintain a therapeutic and realistic perspective 2) maintain a therapeutic and realistic perspective 3) encourage expression of feelings and recollection of the deceased 3) encourage expression of feelings and recollection of the deceased 4) help the mourner identify and work through secondary losses and unfinished business 4) help the mourner identify and work through secondary losses and unfinished business 5) support the mourner in coping with the mourning process 5) support the mourner in coping with the mourning process 6) help the mourner to accommodate to the loss 6) help the mourner to accommodate to the loss 7) work with the mourner to reinvest in the new life 7) work with the mourner to reinvest in the new life

Factors that Impact Utilization of Aftercare  1) lack of general knowledge about the normalcy of grief  2) bereaved may be too overwhelmed

Aftercare Opportunities  Print and Video Materials  Interpersonal Activities  Individualized Intervention  Other Resources:

Roles of Death Care Professionals  Medical Personnel  Clergy  Mental Health Professionals  Hospice  Funeral Service Providers

Categories of Bereavement Aftercare Programs  Professional Services  Self-help and/or Support Groups  Hospice

Models of Aftercare  Hospital-Based Support Programs  Funeral Home Grief Aftercare Programs  Hospice and Other Groups

Arrangement Conference

 “Show me the manner in which a nation or a community cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the law of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.”

Form vs. Function  If the need to create meaningful ceremonies is so obvious…….why has it posed such a challenge to the profession? (Bill Hillbrick)

Deritualization of the Funeral (Wolfelt)  1) We live in the world’s first death-free generation.  2) We live in a mobile fast-paced culture.  3) We value self-reliance.  4) We are adopting a more academic attitude toward life and death.  5) We don’t understand the role of pain and suffering.  6) We have lost the symbolism of death.  7) We deny our own mortality.

Purposes of the Meaningful Funeral (Wolfelt)  1) Confirm that someone we love has died.  2) Help us understand that death is final.  3) Allow us to say good-bye.  4) Serve as a private and public transition.  5) Encourage us to embrace and express our pain.  6) Help us to remember the person who died and encourage us to share those memories with others.

Purposes (cont’d)  7) Offer a time and place for us to talk about the life and death of the deceased.  8) Affirm the worth of our relationship with the person who died.  9) Provide a social support system for us and other mourners.  10) Help integrate mourners back into the community.  11) Allow us to search for meaning in life and death.

Purposes (cont’d)  12) Reinforce the fact of death in all our lives.  13) Establish ongoing helping relationships among mourners.

Funeral Misconceptions  Funerals are too expensive.  Funerals make us too sad.  Funerals are barbaric.  Funerals are inconvenient.  Funerals and cremation are mutually exclusive.  Funerals require the body to be embalmed.

Misconceptions (cont’d)  Funerals are only for religious people.  Funerals are rote and meaningless.  Funerals should reflect what the dead person wanted.  Funerals are only for grown-ups.

Reconciliation Needs of Mourning  1) acknowledge the reality of the death  2) move toward the pain of the loss  3) remember the person who died  4) develop a new self-identity  5) search for meaning  6) receive ongoing support from others