Good Grief: Exploring the Dimensionality of Grief Experiences and Social Work Support

Gordon, Theresa

doi:10.1080/15524256.2012.758607

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Social workers must be empathetic and mindful of their presence and approach when assisting clients during this time. Often, this requires patience and sometimes giving the clients space to process the loss and to share it openly (Gordon, 2013; Yousuf-Abramson, 2020). Above all, the desired outcome of social work intervention is to enable clients to acknowledge their loss, accommodate and integrate it into their regular life functioning healthily.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Ruptures And Disruptions on Grieving And Mourning Within an African Context: Lessons For Social Work Practice

Kgadima

Leburu

2022

Omega (Westport)

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Losing a significant other through death is a tragic experience worsened by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To curb this massive increase of deaths, the South African government introduced various rules to regulate the burial process. However, these COVID-19 regulations have caused major ruptures and disruptions on how bereaved families observe and practice cultural rites and customs following death within an African context. Consequently, many bereaved family members, particularly Black Africans, struggle with adhering to the regulations and funerals have been coined ‘ super spreaders’ of the virus. The concerns raised in this article are twofold, namely, the impact of the Covid-19 regulations on how Black Africans grieve and mourn, as well as the involvement of social workers in formulating regulations that ought to be adhered to. This article explores the fissures and bricolages brought about by COVID-19, ultimately suggesting possible ways of dealing the losses ascribed to the pandemic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Ruptures And Disruptions on Grieving And Mourning Within an African Context: Lessons For Social Work Practice

Kgadima

Leburu

2022

Omega (Westport)

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“…Similarly, the jurisdiction may dictate whether family/friends experience euthanasia or assisted suicide, as well as the cultural acceptance of MAiD. With regard to relationships with HCPs, research has already demonstrated the benefit of HCP support on positive grief reactions, although there are gaps in educating HCPs around MAiD-related grief 33 50 51. Despite being taught about death didactically, Sikstrom et al 51 suggest the need for self-reflection and role-play exercises to reduce the anxiety of HCPs when discussing death and helping family/friends through complex emotions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grief and bereavement of family and friends around medical assistance in dying: scoping review

Yan

Bytautas

Isenberg

et al. 2022

BMJ Support Palliat Care

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ObjectivesThe increase in the number of jurisdictions legalising medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has contributed to a growth in the number of family and friends who may face unique elements of grief and bereavement. The aim of this study was to review the literature of grief and bereavement of family and friends following MAiD, and to summarise findings for the development of community resources and programming.MethodsWe performed a scoping review with workshop consultation of stakeholders. Six electronic databases and the grey literature were searched for qualitative, quantitative and review articles. Content-analytical techniques and multidisciplinary discussions led to the development of concepts and a conceptual framework.ResultsTwenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. We identified five concepts that impact the grief and bereavement of family/friends: relationships between family/friends and the patient as well as healthcare providers; aspects of MAiD grief which can include secrecy and/or anticipatory grief; preparations which may include family/friends and should be centralised and harmonised; end of life as an opportunity for ceremony; and the aftereffects during which mental health outcomes are studied.ConclusionThis multidisciplinary scoping review incorporates stakeholder consultation to find that support is needed to address the complicated and changing emotions of family/friends before, during and after a MAiD death. Furthermore, additional societal normalisation of MAiD is necessary to reduce secrecy and stigma and improve the accessibility of resources for family/friends.

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“…One recommendation from the study included allocating a specific contact person at the hospital to coordinate these tasks and reported that parents were better able to revisit the hospital after their child's death if they had received this positive support. In a study by Gordon (2013), social workers were seen as significant coordinators following palliative care and subsequent death of a loved one (Gordon 2013). Whilst this study did not relate to sudden paediatric death, further research into the critical contact person for grieving parents whose child died in the ED may help identify the appropriate staff position to coordinate these processes.…”

Section: Support From Other Hospital Staffmentioning

confidence: 94%

The Psycho-social Impact of fatal Child Drowning in Queensland and the Availability and Use of Support

Macintyre¹

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This thesis examines the impact of fatal child (0-18 years) drowning in Queensland, Australia, and the supports available to parents following the death of their child. Using a social constructionist qualitative approach, two sets of participants were interviewed: bereaved parents and service providers. The key areas addressed in this research relate to the experiences of parents following their child's death and the benefits and limitations of community and professional support available to them.Bereavement and bereavement support related to an unintentional child death such as drowning have different elements to other child deaths. There is a dearth of literature that examines optimum support for families who experience a fatal child immersion.Fourteen Queensland parents were interviewed about their experiences following the death of their child, the support services available to and accessed by them, and opportunities for improvement within these services. Seventeen service providers were interviewed about their experiences in dealing with parents of children who had drowned, and the support services offered. Data were thematically analysed. Participants highlighted how life changed forever the day their child drowned. Parents' emotional, physical and spiritual states were compromised and some parents also experienced negative changes in their financial situation. Recurrent fundamental themes were expressed by participants in relation to their overall wellbeing. These were physical and/or emotional health; their sense of identity and the impact on their identity of their perceived failure as protector for their child, surviving children, and spouse; the nature and importance of ongoing relationships with immediate and extended family, friends and colleagues; the importance of continuing to honour their child; and the impact of their child's death on work and finances. Service providers described their specific roles in providing services to parents of fatally drowned children, the professional challenges within those roles and the personal impact of providing this service. Themes include: the relevance of the unique geography of Queensland; resource and referral challenges for many organisations; training and education implications; and the impact of bereavement support work on the providers. A consistent finding for both parents and service providers was the limited understanding across the community and professional services regarding the support families require following an unintentional death such as drowning.ii Attention to improved training and education across community and professional sectors, development of a specialised referral database and further research into school and workplace bereavement policies and procedures were key suggestions. Whilst the child drowning rate is decreasing In Queensland due to a number of intervention strategies, unintentional deaths from drowning continue to occur and impact irreversibly on families.Service providers, like parents, clearly articulated ways to ...

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Good Grief: Exploring the Dimensionality of Grief Experiences and Social Work Support

Cited by 10 publications

References 21 publications

COVID-19 Ruptures And Disruptions on Grieving And Mourning Within an African Context: Lessons For Social Work Practice

COVID-19 Ruptures And Disruptions on Grieving And Mourning Within an African Context: Lessons For Social Work Practice

Grief and bereavement of family and friends around medical assistance in dying: scoping review

The Psycho-social Impact of fatal Child Drowning in Queensland and the Availability and Use of Support

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