Bereavement Professional

Hi! Our bereavement team along with social workers and chaplains were given the goal of coming up with more, or different options to support our employees. I searched in the other discussions and found some ideas, but the most recent is from 2015 so I'm hoping to find more options. 

In the past, we have offered a Caring and Sharing group monthly that was for nurses and aides to come and talk. It was very informal, but well attended and seemed to help them process their grief along with build moral and relationships. This was VERY supported by their supervisor and while not mandatory, was STRONGLY encouraged. Once a new supervisor came into the picture and it wasn't encouraged, people stopped coming. 

Currently, if a staff member or volunteer has a loss we mail them a book and some literature on grief and remind them that our LPCs are available for them as well as all of our bereavement support groups. The supervisors for our inpatient center set up a group with their aides to come to with our LPC. They came for 2 times then didn't come again. Our current situation has been going on since right before COVID and we are seeing the negative impact on our staff of them not processing at all. A lot of burnout, frustration, poor moral, one of our seasoned admissions nurses lost his dad and had to take FMLA for 3 months. He said "It felt like I grieved for every hospice patient I've had in the last 23 years along with my father". He did speak with our LPC, but that was only when he was unable to function really. 

So much questions is, what do you do and what is your process for helping staff process not only personal deaths, but the everyday deaths that we encounter in our work? And How do you encourage participation or try to engage them in this process? 

Thanks for all that you guys do!

Misty King, LCSW

Bereavement Program Coordinator

Hospice of Wichita Falls

Misty,

I think you are asking some really good questions.  It is always hard for our staff not only to balance personal losses but all the added stress and loss for the past few years.  It is a difficult role to be in hospice and experience loss on a regular basis.  With added personal losses and stress, it can become difficult.  I can speak to a few things that we have tried over the years to provide support:

1. First and foremost, I am a big believer in EAP and encouraging employees to utilize these programs.  Getting additional support and it being encouraged by the organization makes a huge difference.  Remind folks that it is available and the importance of getting that 1:1 support that they need to be the best version of themselves. Remind folks at team meetings that it is available and the more we talk about it we can help reduce the stigma of getting additional support.
2. We typically do a few agency wide services annually to recognize colleague loss.  We have done them differently both virtually as well as in person.  We currently have a committee of social workers, chaplains and bereavement counselors who plans services. These can be so helpful to recognize our patient loss but also our personal loss.  Colleagues can be invited to share the first names of folks that they cared for and are grieving.  It gives them a space to hold and there is something to the recognition by the hospice agency that loss is ongoing in our roles.
3. We have set up spaces in our various buildings to recognize loss at different points through the year.  It could be a place where they can come light a candle, share a special memory, or write a message about their loss.  Sometimes the more formal services don't speak to some people who are more private and they like the drop in sort of spaces where they can reflect and share.  Again, the visible signs of validating their losses can be most helpful. 

Hoping some of these ideas are helpful!  

Callie Weber

Manager of Tidewell Grief Care, Empath Health

Original Message:
Sent: 06-07-2023 10:45 AM
From: Misty King
Subject: Employee Support

Hi! Our bereavement team along with social workers and chaplains were given the goal of coming up with more, or different options to support our employees. I searched in the other discussions and found some ideas, but the most recent is from 2015 so I'm hoping to find more options. 

In the past, we have offered a Caring and Sharing group monthly that was for nurses and aides to come and talk. It was very informal, but well attended and seemed to help them process their grief along with build moral and relationships. This was VERY supported by their supervisor and while not mandatory, was STRONGLY encouraged. Once a new supervisor came into the picture and it wasn't encouraged, people stopped coming. 

Currently, if a staff member or volunteer has a loss we mail them a book and some literature on grief and remind them that our LPCs are available for them as well as all of our bereavement support groups. The supervisors for our inpatient center set up a group with their aides to come to with our LPC. They came for 2 times then didn't come again. Our current situation has been going on since right before COVID and we are seeing the negative impact on our staff of them not processing at all. A lot of burnout, frustration, poor moral, one of our seasoned admissions nurses lost his dad and had to take FMLA for 3 months. He said "It felt like I grieved for every hospice patient I've had in the last 23 years along with my father". He did speak with our LPC, but that was only when he was unable to function really. 

So much questions is, what do you do and what is your process for helping staff process not only personal deaths, but the everyday deaths that we encounter in our work? And How do you encourage participation or try to engage them in this process? 

Thanks for all that you guys do!

Misty King, LCSW

Bereavement Program Coordinator

Hospice of Wichita Falls

Hi! Our bereavement team along with social workers and chaplains were given the goal of coming up with more, or different options to support our employees. I searched in the other discussions and found some ideas, but the most recent is from 2015 so I'm hoping to find more options. 

In the past, we have offered a Caring and Sharing group monthly that was for nurses and aides to come and talk. It was very informal, but well attended and seemed to help them process their grief along with build moral and relationships. This was VERY supported by their supervisor and while not mandatory, was STRONGLY encouraged. Once a new supervisor came into the picture and it wasn't encouraged, people stopped coming. 

Currently, if a staff member or volunteer has a loss we mail them a book and some literature on grief and remind them that our LPCs are available for them as well as all of our bereavement support groups. The supervisors for our inpatient center set up a group with their aides to come to with our LPC. They came for 2 times then didn't come again. Our current situation has been going on since right before COVID and we are seeing the negative impact on our staff of them not processing at all. A lot of burnout, frustration, poor moral, one of our seasoned admissions nurses lost his dad and had to take FMLA for 3 months. He said "It felt like I grieved for every hospice patient I've had in the last 23 years along with my father". He did speak with our LPC, but that was only when he was unable to function really. 

So much questions is, what do you do and what is your process for helping staff process not only personal deaths, but the everyday deaths that we encounter in our work? And How do you encourage participation or try to engage them in this process? 

Thanks for all that you guys do!

Misty King, LCSW

Bereavement Program Coordinator

Hospice of Wichita Falls