Welcome to the world of hospice and bereavement Darlene!
Often our RN's or MSW's will reach out to the loved ones right after a death, especially if they had a special connection with them. As for bereavement, we typically call moderate or high-risk folks about 2 weeks after the death (unless it's determined it should be sooner) and we call our low risk bereaved about 4 weeks post death. We've found that calling sooner than that, when people are often overwhelmed with calls, visits, post-death task, etc, is not as well received. By 1 month, some of the other supports have fallen away and many people are glad to chat with someone.
That being said, I know other programs call sooner and that has worked well for them. While the NHPCO Guidelines for Bereavement Care in Hospice gives wonderful guidance on this and everything else bereavement related, there is also some room for creativity and figuring out what works best to meet the needs of your bereaved in your own program.
All the best to you!
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Original Message:
Sent: 3/27/2024 12:15:00 PM
From: Darlene Zapata
Subject: Initial Bereavement Call
Hello Everyone,
I'm a fairly new Hospice Volunteer and Bereavement Supervisor for a not for profit Hospital. Currently our Hospice team reaches out to patients and families within 72hrs after death. Is this a good timeframe to conduct an initial bereavement call? Also, is there a regulatory requirement around how soon the call must be made? Greatly appreciate everyone's support.
Darlene