What to Expect from Bereavement Services and Support
If your loved one is in Chandler hospice care and the time is getting close, you are likely already experiencing the beginning stages of grief. But you never, ever have to go through it alone. Bereavement programs are almost always available through hospice care and can be a welcomed and therapeutic experience for those dealing with intense grief. Hospice care is not just for those nearing the end of their life– it is there for those left behind as well.
What is bereavement care?
A bereavement program is usually offered by hospice facilities following the Ahwatukee hospice care of a loved one. Bereavement programs focus on providing care and support to family and friends of a loved one who has passed away. The bereavement care period is typically offered for about thirteen months. The term ‘bereavement’ referred to the state of loss and the subsequent grief that will follow as a reaction to that loss.
Different types of grief
Grief is a completely normal and healthy response to loss. Grief can be experience as a mental, physical, social, or emotional reaction. Mental reactions typically include feelings of guilt, sadness, anger, anxiety, and despair. Physical reactions can also occur and include conditions such as sleeping problems, lack of appetite, or illness. Social reactions to grief include reclusiveness or lack of an interest in social interaction. Emotional reactions can include bouts of crying or angry outbursts.
Grief cannot be measured easily in time. Grief can last for different time periods between different people and often depend on personality and how close one was to the deceased.
What does a bereavement program entail?
Bereavement care differs between different hospice facilities, but usually include the following:
- Helping families work with adjustment issues, such as living situations or financial situations following the loved one’s death.
- Aiding family and friends in understanding death and how to move through the stages of grief by encouraging their own expression.
- Providing counselling through licensed or experienced professional grief counselors or spiritual advisors.
- Providing guidance for decision-making, which may include funeral, burial, and financial decisions.
- Addressing concerns surrounding social situations and questioning spiritual beliefs following death.
- Helping those left behind in adapting to a new environment where the deceased is absent.
- Assisting in experiencing a healthy, though transformed, continued relationship with the deceased loved one.
Grief, the experience
Grief is an individual experience. Nobody can tell you how to properly grieve, and no two people will grieve the same. Grief is a very psychological and spiritual experience that tackles a lot of things surrounding the experience of death. Accepting the reality of loss, working through deep pain, adjusting to life without the deceased, reconciling the deceased’s absence, and moving on are just a few things people will often experience while in mourning. Bereavement counselors will work with you as an individual to help you move through the process in a way that is right for you.
Family and friends aren’t the only ones grieving
Healthcare professionals such as caregivers and nurses, despite how long they have worked in hospice care, often still experience grief when a long-time patient passes away. No amount of job training can prevent the grieving process after witnessing a death of a friend and a patient. Bereavement services are also usually offered to healthcare professionals that cared for and spent a lot of time with the deceased before they passed on.
A bereavement program and hospice care you can trust
Americare Hospice and Palliative Care is a local East Valley hospice facility that offers quality and receptive bereavement and grief support for loved ones of deceased patients. We believe that care should not end when the patient passes on. Those left behind deserve professional support and care, especially after an elongated end-of-life journey with a loved one. Our bereavement program is offered at no cost to assist family and friends of patients. Bereavement periods at Americare Hospice and Palliative Care last for a minimum of thirteen months and can go on for longer if needed. We also offer bereavement services to the broader community with the Grief Recovery Workshops. If you want your loved one to experience a pleasant, spiritual, loving hospice program and to have the support you will eventually need, contact us today to discuss the best programs for you.
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1212 N. Spencer St., Suite #2
Mesa, Arizona 85203
Office: (480) 726-7773
Fax: (480) 726-7790
Email: info@americarehospice.org
