Chapter 11: Grief, End of Life and Bereavement
Overview:
- Lists and discusses the various types of grief reactions
- Case examples for a multitude of people and therefore reactions
- Guidelines on how to prepare patients and their families for the end of their lives
- Provides tables and lists of concerns at the end of life and intervention strategies
- Suggestions on how to support children through times of grief and bereavement
Description:
This chapter examines the various ways health professionals can work with patients and families as they face the challenges of the end of life and ultimately death. It provides guidelines on how to support children and other family members in the difficult stages leading up to the cancer patient’s death.
Topics:
- Grief reactions
- End of life
- Supporting patients and their families
- Preserving dignity at the end-of-life care
- Bereavement
- Bereavement follow-up and counselling
- Supporting children through grief and bereavement
- Putting it all together
- Resources for health professionals and for patients, families and carers
- References
Speaker / Author:
Mandy MacDonald
Mandy is a clinical psychologist with clinical experience both in Australia and in the United Kingdom and is a member of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society. She has nine years’ experience working in psycho-oncology at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney within both liaison psychiatry services and, in more recent years, through the establishment of a dedicated clinical psychology service to oncology patients and their loved ones.
In her current appointment she provides in-patient and out-patient care to medical oncology, radiation oncology and haematology patients. In addition, Mandy provides education, training and supervision to a broad range of oncology professionals and has been involved in teaching through psycho-educative DVD material. She has a longstanding interest in the development and delivery of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary psychosocial care to hospital based patients.
Kim Hobbs
Kim holds a master’s degree in social work and has been the social worker with the Westmead Centre for Gynaecological Cancer in Sydney since its inception in 1994. The Centre has established an innovative model of multi-disciplinary care in which psychosocial support services are an integral component of comprehensive cancer care for women with gynaecological cancer and their families. Since 2001, Kim has been actively involved in a number of multi-disciplinary research projects - such as investigating the effectiveness of cancer support groups, the needs of cancer caregivers, the training and support needs of cancer caregivers and the needs and perceptions of women with recurrent ovarian cancer - which led to publications in international journals.
Kim has been a member of a several committees and working parties, advocating improved psychosocial services for people with cancer and their families, and developing resources for clinicians and consumers. She maintains professional association and committee memberships with the Australian Association of Social Workers and Clinical Oncological Society of Australia among others.
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