1. Module 7 Loss, Grief, & Bereavement Part I: Overview
Core Curriculum
Module 7 Loss, Grief, & Bereavement Part I: Overview

2. Sound Familiar?
Susan, a single mom: Her only son was killed in a motor cycle accident
Joshua and Heather: Their 21-year old daughter committed suicide
Martin: Partner died of a heart attack
William: Wife of 60 years died from complications of diabetes

3. You Know These Stories Well
You witness similar deaths frequently
You see much grief
There are times you witness moral distress
How do you process all the grief?

4. Definitions
Loss: Absence of an object, position, ability, or attribute
Grief: Reaction to a loss
Bereavement: Provides dispensation from usual activities for a variable period of time.
Mourning: Refers not so much to the reaction to the loss but rather to the process of integrating the loss into everyday life.
Corless, 2015

5. Overview of Loss, Grief, and Bereavement
Patient, family, and nurse all experience losses
Each person grieves in his/her own way
An interdisciplinary approach is vital

6. Nurse’s Role Assess the grief Assist the patient with grief
Support survivors

7. A Grief and Bereavement Program is a Core Component of the Palliative Care Program
Interdisciplinary team
On-going reassessment
On-going support staff
Complicated grief risk(s)
Intensive support and prompt referrals
Bereavement services available at least 12 months after death of loved one
Culturally and linguistically appropriate information
Respect of developmental, cultural, and spiritual needs
NCP, 2013

8. The Grief Process
Both loss and growth can occur—but distress will still be experienced
Emotional oscillation is normal and expected
HFA, 2011

9. Disenfranchised Grief
Types of Grief
Anticipatory Grief
Acute Grief
Normal Grief
Complicated Grief
Disenfranchised Grief
Corless 2015; Shear, 2015

10. Grief Assessment Begins at time of admission or diagnosis
Should be ongoing to detect complicated grief
Corless, 2015

11. Bereavement Care: Opportunities for Nurses
The reaction of the survivor to the death of a family member or close friend.
The adjustment to a life without the deceased
Be aware of cultural characteristics
Corless, 2015

12. Beyond Kübler-Ross: New Perspectives on Death, Dying, and Grief
Kübler-Ross taught about listening and humanizing care
Evidence of “individual pathways” vs. “stages.”
40 years later, dying is different
More chronic illness with prolongation of life via technology