Bereavement Professional

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Online Groups

  • 1.  Online Groups

    Posted 05-12-2020 08:47 AM
    Hi All! 

    I know there are previous threads discussing online groups, but I did not see anyone in discussing if these groups are open or closed to the public? Our support group is open to the public and we have been discussing how to best do the online group to help our bereaved through this time without limiting it to hospice families but also conserving their privacy. Has anyone gone through a similar situation?

    ------------------------------
    Allison Mull, BSW
    Bereavement Coordinator
    VCU Health CMH
    Community Hospice
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 05-13-2020 08:39 AM
    Hi - 
    Our on-line groups are open to the community.  All members must register to attend.
    Hope that helps, 
    Diane

    ------------------------------
    Diane Snyder Cowan, CHPCA,MA,MT-BC
    Director of Western Reserve Grief Services
    Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-27-2020 05:09 PM
    How do you let the community know about the groups?


  • 4.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-29-2020 07:42 AM
    Our support groups have always been about 50 %community and 50% hospice families.  When we switched to online groups, we simply let those group members know and included them on the invitations to the group if they so desired. In addition, we have a facebook page and website where we have posted about our online groups as well as our newsletter which all comes in an email version.  And word of mouth always seems to be one of our best marketing tools.

    ------------------------------
    Diane Snyder Cowan, CHPCA,MA,MT-BC
    Director of Western Reserve Grief Services
    Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-29-2020 01:31 PM
    What outlet do you all use for online groups?

    --
    JoDell Rogers





  • 6.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-29-2020 02:09 PM
    We use Microsoft Teams.

    ------------------------------
    Diane Snyder Cowan, CHPCA,MA,MT-BC
    Director of Western Reserve Grief Services
    Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-29-2020 02:11 PM

    we use Zoom thru our business account, which assures confidentiality

     






  • 8.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-30-2020 12:17 PM

    Diane- We're currently discussing a shift from Zoom to Microsoft Teams. Would you be willing to share how your use of MT has been, and whether you utilize the file upload or chat features? I'm a bit worried about the chats not going away between groups, but then I wonder if that might be useful as a way of going back to point out growth or to touch back on issues that hadn't been covered yet. 



    ------------------------------
    Wendi J. Sargent, LMHC
    Grief Support Services | Providence Hospice of Seattle
    direct: 206.320.7157 main: 206.320.4000
    hours: 8 am- 4:30 pm Monday-Friday

    website: www.providence.org/hospiceofseattle
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-31-2020 10:53 AM
    Hi - 
    It's taken a bit of time, but staff are getting used to Teams.  we can see 9 people - so that's the leader and 8 participants.  As of yet, no one has utilized the chat of uploaded anything during the support groups.  We did have virtual camp this week and did share a book that was read. The chat feature was available but not used. One camper did write in the chat box the time as we were getting near the end of the session. It was very cute.  
    Hope that helps. 
    Diane

    ------------------------------
    Diane Snyder Cowan, CHPCA,MA,MT-BC
    Director of Western Reserve Grief Services
    Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-31-2020 11:05 AM
    Thank you, Diane- that's very helpful! We've been using Zoom, but with the 40 minute limit, it's been challenging (we meet for 40 minutes, take a 10 minute break, and then meet for another 40 minutes, but the 40 minutes cuts out so quickly that it feels a bit shocking sometimes). We're hoping to offer something for the holidays (we typically host a yearly "Grief and the Holidays" event that we're looking to host virtually). 


    ------------------------------
    Wendi J. Sargent, LMHC
    Grief Support Services | Providence Hospice of Seattle
    direct: 206.320.7157 main: 206.320.4000
    hours: 8 am- 4:30 pm Monday-Friday

    website: www.providence.org/hospiceofseattle
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-30-2020 12:36 AM
    We use GoToMeeting. We find it to be more HIPAA compliant and secure than Zoom

    ------------------------------
    Kelly Pierce
    Kaweah Delta Hospice
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  • 12.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 08-07-2020 10:07 AM
    We used Zoom from our corporate office who says these are HIPPA compliant.

    ------------------------------
    Linda White
    lwhite@htohh.com
    Heart to Heart Hospice
    Fort Worth TX
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 08-07-2020 12:06 PM

    All,

     

    I am fascinated by the variability there is amongst IT professionals within our separate programs and organizations!  Our national IT program for Kaiser Permanente has been consistent for months stating Zoom is far too risky of a platform to utilize for virtual programming and care. I wish I understood as well as our IT professionals more of the details and rationale myself, as I have found Zoom very user-friendly in personal settings. For our organization we have been approved and been using Microsoft Teams as well. This has been successful for our groups and other telehealth connections in our hospice and palliative care programs.

     

     

    Joelle Osterhaus, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ACHP-SW (she/her)
    KPNW Hospice & Palliative Care Psychosocial Services Manager

    KPNW Interim Palliative Care Operations Manager

    NHPCO Bereavement Professional Committee Chair and MyNHPCO Executive Committee Member

    Kaiser Permanente Northwest
    Continuing Care Services
    2701 NW Vaughn St., Ste. 140
    Portland, OR 97210-5344

    Cell Phone: (503) 312-0819
    Main Office: (503) 499-5200

    Fax: (503) 499-5535

    NOTICE TO RECIPIENT:  If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them.  Thank you.

     

     

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  • 14.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-30-2020 07:34 PM
    HI all
    We have multiple Zoom and Phone in (conference call) remote groups and do open them to the public and do require registration as well. Once they register, the Facilitators contact the participant to do a short interview and walk them through the logging on process. We are learning so much! I didn't think these groups would be that popular but  I was completely wrong! We are learning about how to facilitate them effectively. We put several technical controls in place to make them more user friendly and more effective and am wondering what you all have learned from doing "remote" groups?
    We also started two Covid specific loss groups (via Zoom) and they are so popular we are opening additional ones ASAP. We have assigned bereavement clinicians trained in Sudden loss and Crisis Debriefing and will continue to learn what works best.  

    I am curious to learn the Best Practices from you all on facilitating video and phone groups?

    ------------------------------
    Robin Fiorelli LCSW
    Sr. Director of Bereavement and Volunteers
    VITAS
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 08-10-2020 11:40 AM
    Robin, what have you titled/named those Covid-specific loss groups?

    ------------------------------
    Andrew J. Vitale, CT
    Bereavement Coordinator-Spiritual Counselor
    Northern Illinois Hospice
    State of Illinois
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 08-10-2020 06:03 PM
    We have called them Covid-Specific Loss Group

    ------------------------------
    Robin Fiorelli LCSW
    Sr. Director of Bereavement and Volunteers
    VITAS
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-30-2020 05:23 PM

    Like Diane, we see about 50/50 community bereaved v hospice/palliative bereaved.   Our larger healthcare organization does a lot of sharing internally with bereaved who are accessing other services in our system, but whose person did not die on our hospice or palliative care programs.  Beyond that there are also many hospice and community bereaved who share word of mouth a great deal, which also generates plenty of referrals.  We do not do any outreach to the community as our metro area is quite saturated with groups and we never seem to have any trouble always filling them up and exploring every year how we can expand to meet the demand. 

     

     

    Joelle Osterhaus, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ACHP-SW (she/her)
    Hospice & Palliative Care Psychosocial Services Manager & Interim Palliative Care Operations Manager

    Kaiser Permanente Northwest
    Continuing Care Services
    2701 NW Vaughn St., Ste. 140
    Portland, OR 97210-5344

    Cell Phone: (503) 312-0819
    Main Office: (503) 499-5200

    Fax: (503) 499-5535

    NOTICE TO RECIPIENT:  If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them.  Thank you.

     

     

    NOTICE TO RECIPIENT:  If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them.  Thank you.






  • 18.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 05-13-2020 10:31 AM

    For online groups, while ours are not active currently, we plan to open the to the community as we have done with all of our drop-in groups, however, not without people needing to register with us first. This allows us to do a screening and review the guidelines for group participation. Thereafter we release the details of the link, password, etc. We expect, as with our other virtual platforms used for counseling and for family meetings, for instance, that there will be appreciate expressed for the time taken to do so with them so they feel they understand the group and are prepared to participate.

     

     

    Joelle Osterhaus, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, ACHP-SW (she/her)
    Hospice & Palliative Care Psychosocial Services Manager & Interim Palliative Care Operations Manager

    Kaiser Permanente Northwest
    Continuing Care Services
    2701 NW Vaughn St., Ste. 140
    Portland, OR 97210-5344

    Cell Phone: (503) 312-0819
    Main Office: (503) 499-5200

    Fax: (503) 499-5535

    CCS Social Work Sharepoint Site (internal use): https://sp-cloud.kp.org/sites/NWCCSSocialWork/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx

    CCS Bereavement Program Sharepoint Site (internal use): https://sites.sp.kp.org/teams/nwreg/NWAmbulatoryCare/CCS/Hospice/SitePages/BS.aspx

    CCS Dept Sharepoint Site (internal use): https://sites.sp.kp.org/teams/nwreg/NWAmbulatoryCare/CCS/SitePages/Home.aspx

     

    Hospice Volunteer Website: : https://www.kpnwvolunteer.org/hospice

    NOTICE TO RECIPIENT:  If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them.  Thank you.

     

    NOTICE TO RECIPIENT:  If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you are prohibited from sharing, copying, or otherwise using or disclosing its contents.  If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete this e-mail and any attachments without reading, forwarding or saving them.  Thank you.






  • 19.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 05-13-2020 01:01 PM
    Hi Allison, we have moved all of our groups online and all of then are open to anyone in the community as they were before our groups went online. I am not sure what you mean by conserving the privacy of your hospice families? Our group members are free to share or not share that their loved one was a patient with us.  

    We have drop-in groups that do not require pre-registraion. If people have attended groups or counseling in the past, they receive an email at the start of each month with the information to join. We list details of the drop-in groups, but not list the links on our website. So if they are new, they need to call in to get the information to join. That way we reduce the risk of our groups being hacked.  

    We also have closed 8-week groups, typically based on the type of loss although we also have Healing Grief Holistically and Expressive Arts Groups. These require pre-registration. We have started four 8-week groups online so far. 

    I hope this helps!

     

    Maggie Cochran, LCSW

    Bereavement Supervisor

    Hospice Austin

    4107 Spicewood Springs Rd, Suite 100

    Austin, TX 78759

    512-342-4784

    www.HospiceAustin.org

    This e-mail message may contain information that is privileged, confidential, or exempt from disclosure. It is intended for use only by the person to whom it is addressed. If you have received this message in error, please delete it immediately.  Thank you.




  • 20.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 05-18-2020 06:34 PM
    Hi Allison, Our groups are also open to the community. Our face to face groups are open to the community, when we switched to total virtual format, we definitely wanted to keep that support for our community participants. And as had been stated, we offer registration and screen for appropriateness.

    ------------------------------
    Karen Monts
    Director, Grief Support Services & Practice Manager, Counseling Services
    Northstar Care Community
    ------------------------------



  • 21.  RE: Online Groups

    Posted 07-31-2020 11:08 AM
    Our groups are always open to the community. We always do a complete assessment, and we try to make sure everyone can commit to the 6 weeks. With the virtual format now, we limit the groups to 6 people. We've been able to have several successful groups since the beginning of Covid with a Mother Loss writing workshop in the middle as well. It's been a steep but really powerful learning curve for all of us. I'm grateful to work with creative and flexible colleagues!

    ------------------------------
    Wendi J. Sargent, LMHC
    Grief Support Services | Providence Hospice of Seattle
    direct: 206.320.7157 main: 206.320.4000
    hours: 8 am- 4:30 pm Monday-Friday

    website: www.providence.org/hospiceofseattle
    ------------------------------