https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/issue/feed Bereavement Care 2022-02-08T16:57:52-08:00 Open Journal Systems https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1070 Editorial 2022-02-08T16:57:48-08:00 Alison Penny apenny@ncb.org.uk 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1071 Loss in the family – A reflection on how schools can support their students 2022-02-08T16:57:48-08:00 Atle Dyregrov edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Kari Dyregrov edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Martin Lytje edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Abstract <p>Each year, thousands of British schoolchildren experience the loss of a loved one. In this trying time, it is vital that school staff have a good understanding of how to offer support. Sadly, many school staff struggle with how to provide support and in what form. Based on experiences from Scandinavia, in this article we provide guidelines and practical advice for the forms of support which we consider beneficial. In cases of anticipated losses, the school can do its utmost to collaborate with the home and student in order to ensure efficient communication and good student care. Following a loss, the school should work to provide a caring climate that makes it easier to return to class. We recommend making most decisions in collaboration with the bereaved children in order to ensure they receive support they themselves find beneficial.</p> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 The Author(s) https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1073 Funeral practices and grief 2022-02-08T16:57:49-08:00 John Birrell edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Kate Woodthorpe edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Margaret Stroebe edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Hannah Rumble edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Henk Schut edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Anne Corden edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Daniel Anadria edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Yvette Smith edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Cate Newsom edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Abstract <p>Does restricting the ceremonial/ritual arrangements around a cremation to a minimum have a negative association with grief over time? This question has increasingly concerned professionals in the funeral industry as well as those in healthcare capacities working with bereaved persons. We examined the relationship between cremation arrangements and levels of grief. Bereaved people in the UK completed questionnaires 2 to 5 months post-loss and a year later (N=233 with complete data). Complexity of the cremation service was not significantly related to grief; neither was satisfaction with arrangements (which was typically high). Results suggested that it makes no difference to grief whether a more minimalistic or elaborate funeral ceremony is chosen under conditions where the bereaved feel free to make choices that best suit their situation. We concluded that the funeral industry seems to be offering bereaved people an appropriate range of cremation arrangement choices to meet their needs. Important limits to generalizability are discussed. That funeral services serve multiple functions for bereaved persons is emphasized.</p> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1074 ‘It was a blanket of love’: How American and Italian parents represent their experience of perinatal hospice through the use of metaphors 2022-02-08T16:57:49-08:00 Margherita Dahò mdaho@unime.it Abstract <p>The loss of a child is one of the most profoundly stressful events an adult can experience, but perinatal hospice may be an important resource for the family’s wellbeing. The aim of this study was to understand how a group of American and Italian parents of infants affected by life-limiting or terminal conditions and treated with personalised comfort measures represents, with a metaphorical statement, the experience of perinatal hospice care. Thirty five questionnaires were collected and included 13 parents from Italy and 22 from the US. Parents represent their experience as positive and rich with lovely family moments and, although it is also a hard path, they consider it as an important gift. Other metaphors elected were related to spirituality and transcendence, underlying the need of parents to express and share their spiritual values and beliefs. Finally, parents also perceived an overall support from care providers and felt as if they were part of the same family.</p> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1075 The use of Winnicott’s concept of transitional objects in bereavement practice 2022-02-08T16:57:50-08:00 Clare Wakenshaw clarewakenshaw@hotmail.com Abstract <p>Working with young children, Donald Winnicott (1951) identified transitional objects as items which were both created and discovered by an infant for comfort, and to support the developmental necessity of separating from their primary caregiver. In adulthood, the keeping and holding of a physical object, for example a piece of jewellery owned by a loved one who has died, is frequently seen as supportive for bereaved people but is rarely named or conceptualised as a transitional object. Taking an object relations perspective, the aim of this review will be to consider research and literature within bereavement theory and practice in order to suggest how transitional objects can be conceptualised in grief work across all life stages. Examples from research and the authors own therapeutic practice will be shared in order to suggest ways in which the use of transitional objects can support therapeutic practice with bereaved people.</p> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1076 Stillbirth, still life: A qualitative patient-led study on parents’ unsilenced stories of stillbirth 2022-02-08T16:57:51-08:00 Chelsia Gillis edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Venesa Wheatley edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Ashley Jones edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Brenda Roland edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Marlyn Gill edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Nancy Marlett edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Svetlana Shklarov edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Abstract <p>Our objective was to explore parents’ experiences of stillbirth using a patient-led qualitative approach, in the Canadian context. Parents who had experienced stillbirth in the previous five years were recruited through posters and snowball sampling. We conducted a co-design focus group to set the direction of our research, narrative interviews, and a reflect focus group to engage parents in finalizing the analysis and findings. Data was analysed iteratively using a participatory approach with grounded theory principles. Our findings highlight that stillbirth is a story of death, but it is also a story of life. Parents (n=11) require the space to experience both the birth and death elements of the story; yet, one or both elements are often silenced. <em>Stillbirth, still life</em> was the core concept that emerged from parents’ stories of their stillborn babies. Parents’ narratives are driven by the need to honour their babies’ lives. They are learning to be unsilenced.</p> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1077 Exploration of clinicians’ perspectives of using a bereavement risk screening tool in a palliative care setting: a qualitative study 2022-02-08T16:57:52-08:00 Lois Lawler edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Christy Noble edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Emily Plunkett edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Rachel Wenke edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Lise Johns edwina.rowling@cruse.org.uk Abstract <p>To minimise the adverse outcomes of prolonged complex bereavement, health professionals need effective risk screening tools to identify those at risk. However, existing tools can be challenging to implement in the clinical setting. This qualitative study aimed to explore clinicians’ perspectives and experiences of using the Bereavement Risk Index (BRI) screening tool, including identifying barriers and enablers regarding its use and what they perceived as important domains in bereavement risk screening. Data was collected through semi-structured group and individual interviews and deductively analysed using the Theoretical Domains Framework. Eleven participants employed in one regional palliative care service were interviewed. The results revealed three key implications: 1) a risk screening tool is highly beneficial, however contextual factors can limit its implementation; 2) clinician confidence in the tool and perception of the tool’s comprehensiveness are significant factors in its use; 3) feedback is needed as to whether clinicians’ assessment of bereavement risk remains accurate and valid in the longer term.</p> 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care https://www.bereavementjournal.org/index.php/berc/article/view/1072 Bereavement Care – Tribute to Colin Murray Parkes 2022-02-08T16:57:49-08:00 Debbie Kerslake debbie.kerslake3@gmail.com 2020-09-01T00:00:00-07:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Cruse Bereavement Care