Bereavement Practices Among California Hospices: Results of a Statewide Survey

Abstract

During 1999-2000, the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) surveyed its 160 member hospices regarding bereavement support services. Over 80% of hospices participated, providing information about program content, staff training, and costs incurred by participants. Results revealed that a greater percentage of larger hospices and non-profit hospices offer support groups and workshops than do smaller hospices and for-profit hospices. Volunteers account for almost one quarter of bereavement staff. The professional background of paid staff is varied, with social workers and clergy being most common overall but nurses more common in small hospices. Almost 90% of hospices provide all bereavement support at no charge to the bereaved. Services most likely to be associated with a fee include special support groups, children's programs, and professional counseling to individuals and families.

Project failure from corporate entrepreneurship: Managing the grief process

“…Support groups are used to assist in the regulation of emotion in a number of contexts, particularly in relation to the loss of a loved one. Over half of all hospices in the US offer support groups to help individuals deal with grief over the loss of a loved one (Foliart et al, 2001). Balk et al (1993) offer a description of goals typical of such support groups.…”

The Fundamental Paradox in the Grief Literature: A Critical Reflection

“…In fact, interventions are potentially deleterious for "normal" grief. However, despite some exceptions (e.g., Murray et al, 2000) interventions remain largely focused on grief following end-of-life care and deaths in hospital settings (e.g., Foliart, Clausen, & Siljestrom, 2001;Kaunonen, Tarkka, Laippala, & Paunonen-Ilmonen, 2000;Nesbit, Hill, & Peterson, 1997;Reilly-Smorawski, Armstrong, & Catlin, 2002), rather than following bereavements that are perhaps just as likely or even more likely to result in "complicated" outcomes, including sudden, violent, preventable, and stigmatizing deaths; and deaths outside hospital and palliative care settings, because the bereaved are not easily "known" and identified by service providers.…”

Entrepreneurial Cognition

“…More than 50% of all US hospice providers provide support groups to aid people manage their grief after losing a loved one (Foliart et al 2001). According to Balk et al (1993: 432), typical goals of support groups are as follows:…”