1. Bereavement Services

2. Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break
Macbeth

3. Models of Bereavement
Five Stage Model
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

4. Models of Bereavement
Tasks of Mourning
Accept reality of Loss
Experience pain of grief
Adjust to changed environment
To reinvest emotional energy

5. Models of Bereavement
Continuing Bonds
Tubingen Longitudinal Study of Bereavement (1991)
Only a small minority wanted to change their lives or seek a new partner (17%),
Many were seeking to integrate their loss into their life styles and carry on as before,
Many still sensed their spouse’s presence and searched for them (even after two years),
The deceased still had strong psychological influences over the way the bereaved organised and planned their lives, ‘consulting’ the deceased over major decisions,
A report by Shuchter and Zisook (1993) found that many bereaved continued to cherish and nurture the relationship with the deceased.

6. Meaning Reconstruction
Models of Bereavement
Meaning Reconstruction
Relearning the World: Making and Finding Meanings
Bereavement as a difficult journey which begins by ‘suffering’:
experiencing loss of wholeness;
having the lines of connection with larger-life contexts broken;
feeling helpless and powerless;
missing the physical presence of the loved one;
suffering ‘spirit’ and ‘soul’ pain.

7. Meaning Reconstruction
Models of Bereavement
Meaning Reconstruction
Relearning the World: Making and Finding Meanings
Relearning takes place in each aspect of our world:-
Physical surroundings
Social surroundings
Our very selves, including our characters
Our own self-confidence and self-esteem
Our relationships with those who died

8. Models of Bereavement
Meaning Reconstruction
Relearning the World: Making and Finding Meanings
Grieving is a journey of the heart that brings us to the fullness of life in the flesh and blood, here and now, and into the future with those who still share the earth with us’.
Thomas Attig

9. Loss versus restoration orientation
Models of Bereavement
Dual Process
Loss versus restoration orientation
Loss-orientation:
Dealing with or processing some aspect of the loss experience
Focusing on the relationship, tie, or bond with the deceased
Yearning for the deceased

10. Models of Bereavement
Restoration orientation:
Adjustment to substantial changes
Mastering the tasks the deceased used to do (finances, cooking)
Arranging the reorganisation of life
Development of a new identity from ‘spouse’ to ‘widow(er)’ / ‘parent’ / ‘parent of deceased child’.

12. Bereavement Services Palliative Care & End of Life
Bereavement is an inevitable part of our lives.
The process of grieving is a natural consequence
of loss

13. Bereavement Services
A service will be offered to family and friends of adults who have been, or currently are, under the care of the Cancer and Palliative Care Teams

14. Bereavement Services
To offer appropriate and timely support to those who are about to be or are bereaved

15. Bereavement Services Level 3 Specialist Support Level 2
Bereavement Volunteer
Level 1
Family, Friends, Existing Social Networks, Information

16. Bereavement Services
Case Example One
“You’re not like other blokes.”
Case Example Two
“This grief thing’s a funny old business.”

17. Walsall Palliative Care Centre
Bereavement Services
Contact Details:
John Hayes (Bereavement Service Co-ordinator)
Tel:
Liza Burnell (Family Bereavement Support Worker)
Tel:
Walsall Palliative Care Centre
Goscote Lane
Walsall WS3 1SJ

18. Thank you for listening
Any questions?