A thesis submitted in partial fulfiment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2009 / This study which sought to understand the psychological wellbeing of bereaved employees and the support they receive within their working environment used a convenient sample of 209 participants that included bereaved employees, managers, supervisors and human resource officers from various organisations in the province of Kwa Zulu-Natal. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized in this study. Findings showed that: (a) At times bereaved employees were not well supported when resuming work after the funeral. (b) Support offered before the funeral was sufficiently adequate in the majority of Organisations but still warrants improvement. (c) Some bereaved employees who developed complicated grief did not receive adequate psychological intervention that they deserve. (d) Mostly feelings of disturbances interfered with job performance. (e) The current Family Responsibility leave was inadequate for those bereaved employees whose culture demanded more days to cope with bereavement rituals. (f) The Employment Assistance Programmes that most organisations depend on were largely ineffective in dealing with bereaved employees who need counselling or psychotherapy. The implication of the findings pointed to a need for organisations to have clear bereavement policies and support programmes for bereaved employees.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att öka kunskapen om betydelsen av att som äldre bearbeta sin sorg i grupp efter att ha mist en livskamrat. Detta har uppnåtts genom att ta del av erfarenheter från före detta deltagare i Svenska kyrkans sorgegrupper. Som forskningsdesign har en kvalitativ deskriptiv ansats valts, denna omfattades av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju personer, två män och fem kvinnor i åldrarna 67 till 81 år. Materialet har sedan analyserats genom meningskategorisering med tematisering som följd. Resultatet visar att det mest betydande med att bearbeta sin sorg i grupp har varit gemenskapen som innefattar möjligheten att få träffa, samtala och bekräftas av personer i samma situation. Det talas även om att en ömsesidig hjälp har uppstått i gruppen där deltagarna beskriver hur de själva bidragit genom att lyssna och dela med sig. Resultatet visar även att sorgen är unik för varje person. Hur sorgen hanteras beror till stor del på hur man är som person och hur ens sociala nätverk ser ut. Resultatet visar också att professionellt stöd i form av exempelvis de gruppledare som förekommer i studien eller kuratorskontakt endast fungerar som ett teoretiskt komplement och kan inte jämföras med den förståelse som gruppdeltagarna har genom att dela samma livserfarenhet. Studien belyser är att det inte finns något sätt att helt förbereda sig inför dödsfallet av en nära anhörig, men att möjligheten till sorgestöd när det otänkbara inträffat är en viktig del för att ta sig ur den svåraste perioden därefter.

Yes / Aims: To determine who provides bereavement support in the community, what sources are perceived to be the most or least helpful and for what reason, and to identify the empirical elements for optimal support in developing any future compassionate communities approach in palliative care. Design: A population-based cross-sectional investigation of bereavement experiences. Sources of support (informal, community and professional) were categorised according to the Public Health Model of Bereavement Support; most helpful reasons were categorised using the Social Provisions Scale, and least helpful were analysed using inductive content analysis. Setting and participants: Bereaved people were recruited from databases of funeral providers in Australia via an anonymous postal survey (2013–2014). Results: In total, 678 bereaved people responded to the survey. The most frequently used sources of support were in the informal category such as family, friends and funeral providers. While the professional category sources were the least used, they had the highest proportions of perceived unhelpfulness whereas the lowest proportions of unhelpfulness were in the informal category. The functional types of helpful support were Attachment, Reliable Alliance, Social Integration and Guidance. The five themes for least helpful support were: Insensitivity, Absence of Anticipated Support, Poor Advice, Lack of Empathy and Systemic Hindrance. Conclusion: A public health approach, as exemplified by compassionate communities policies and practices, should be adopted to support the majority of bereaved people as much of this support is already provided in informal and other community settings by a range of people already involved in the everyday lives of those recently bereaved. This study has provided further support for the need to strengthen the compassionate communities approach, not only for end of life care for dying patients but also along the continuum of bereavement support. / Health Department of Western Australia.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka äldres upplevelser av stöd i samband med sorg, vid förlust av livskamrat, samt att undersöka professionellas erfarenheter av sörjandestöd för äldre. Syftet preciseras genom följande frågeställningar: Vilket stöd finns att tillgå äldre i sorg, utifrån samhällets insatser? Vilka eventuella brister finns i sörjandestödet för äldre? Vilka aspekter har varit avgörande för de äldres sorgebearbetning? Studien har genomförts utifrån kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Intervjuer har genomförts med två respondentgrupper, den ena med tre äldre personer vilka erfarit förlust av livskamrat, den andra med tre professionella vilka via sitt arbete kommer i kontakt med äldre. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna har utgjorts av kristeori, rollteori och ålderism. Studiens resultat visar att det finns visst stöd att tillgå för sörjande äldre men att det är begränsat och till viss del svårtillgängligt. Vidare visar resultatet att de brister och begränsningar som idag finns inom sörjandestödet till stor del kan förklaras utifrån ekonomiska aspekter. Resultatet belyser även faktorer, utöver det professionella stödet, vilka kan ha betydelse för sorgeprocessen. / The study aims to examine the elderly’s experiences of support in grief at the loss of a life partner and to explore professionals' experiences of bereavement support for elderly. The aim defined by the following questions: What support is available from society for elderly in grief? What possible deficiencies are there in bereavement support for elderly? What aspects have been crucial for elderly in their grieving process? The study was conducted using qualitative methodology with semi-structured interviews as data collection method. Interviews have been conducted with two respondent groups, one with three elder people who have experienced the loss of a life partner, the other with three professional who through their work get in contact with elderly. The theoretical approaches have consisted of crisis theory, role theory and ageism. The results of the study show that there is some support available for bereaved elderly, but it is limited and partly inaccessible. Furthermore, the results show that the deficiencies and limitations that currently exist within the bereavement support can largely be explained by economic factors. The result also highlights aspects, in addition to professional support, which may be important for the grieving process.

No description available.

Bereavement and grief are life changing and universal experiences. People cope with loss of a loved one in many ways. For some the experience may lead to personal growth and for others it could lead to deterioration in their normal functioning. There is no right way of coping with death. The way a person grieves depends on the personality of that person and the relationship with the person that has died. Grief and loss occurs both at work and at home. However, these days, most people spend more of their time at the workplace than at home. Therefore when a colleague dies or one is grieving a death or a loss, the impact on his or her co-workers can be tremendous. The death of an employee can bring the workplace activity to a halt. Anyone who knew the person will experience some degree of shock and anxiety. However, how a person copes with grief is affected by the person’s cultural and religious background, coping skills, mental history, support systems and the person’s social and financial situation. The workplace could therefore be a significant support system that could help a person to cope with the loss. The manner in which grief and loss are managed in the workplace could determine if the employees’ experiences of this loss is dealt with either positively or negatively. The researcher, through consultations with employees at Umgeni Hospital, has learnt that the employees have within a short time period experienced the loss of several colleagues through traumatic events. Some employees are also struggling to cope with losses in their personal lives. The aim of this study was to investigate the need for an employee bereavement support programme at Umgeni Hospital. The objectives of this study were: <ul> <li> To conceptualize theoretically employee bereavement and its impact in the workplace as well as the support strategies for employees.</li> <li> To conduct an empirical investigation into the need for an employee bereavement support programme at Umgeni Hospital.</li> <li> To provide recommendations to the hospital management on the need for a bereavement support programme at Umgeni Hospital based on the information gained from this research.</li> </ul> A quantitative research approach was used to assist the researcher understand this need. Applied research focusses on problem solving in practice. In this study applied research was used as the findings of this exploratory study determined the recommendations to management on the need for an employee bereavement support programme at Umgeni Hospital. The data collection method was hand delivered questionnaires. The population for the study was 422 employees. However, systematic sampling was used to chose a sample of 70 employees. These questionnaires were pilot tested on 5 employees that did not form part of the actual study. The data was analysed using the SPSS statistical package, interpreted and displayed using table format and various graphical presentations. The goal of the study was to investigate the need for an employee bereavement support programme at Umgeni Hospital. This goal was definitely achieved as the study determined not only that there is definitely a need for an employee bereavement support programme at Umgeni Hospital but also the exact or specific needs of the employees with regards to the programme itself. This study would therefore definitely add value to the hospital and its employees as it will assist hospital management in developing an appropriate bereavement support programme to assist their employees in the future. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Contact with the next of kin to a deceased person by a Nurse, may help the grieving family to gain closure as many family members feel a need to express their emotional grief. According to the WHOs definition of Palliative care supportive conversation and practical support is a necessity and an important part of the palliative care. Ruland and Moores Peaceful End-of-Life Theory has been used as a theory and an important part is to pay attention to how the relatives are feeling, for example symptoms of grief and anxiety and to answer their questions. The purpose of the study was to describe if geographical location, place of death, medical diagnosis and age affect if bereavement support is offered by the Health care to the next of kin within palliative care. Method: Retrospective time line to discover and examine how conversational support was offered. A quantitive method was chosen to enable the data to be analyzed statistically. To collect data the Swedish Palliative Register where used. Results: Larger numbers of the smaller municipalities proved to be better at offering conversational support in comparison to larger municipalities. Most offers for conversational support was in the case of cancer diagnosis, regardless of age. Families that lived in small municipalities where the patient was being treated for cancer 0-4 years with access to specialized palliative care proved to hold the greatest possibility of conversational support. Implication: There is a continuing need for further research in bereavement support and with a qualitative interview study of district nurses there is an ability to capture the factors that affect when bereavement support is not offered to all relatives. / Ett efterlevandesamtal mellan de anhöriga och distriktssköterskan en tid efter dödsfallet kan hjälpa familjen att få ett avslut och många anhöriga önskar att få tala om sin sorg efter sin bortgångna närstående. Enligt WHO:s definition är samtalsstöd och praktiskt stöd en nödvändighet och en viktig del av den palliativa vården. Ruland och Moores teori Peaceful End-of-Life Theory skriver att en viktig del i teorin är att uppmärksamma anhörigas mående, till exempel symtom på sorg och oro samt besvara deras frågor. Syftet med studien var att beskriva om geografisk plats, dödsplats, diagnos och ålder påverkar erbjudandet från hälso-sjukvården om efterlevnadssamtal till anhöriga inom palliativ vård. Metod: Kvantitativ retrospektiv metod har valts för att kunna undersöka bakåt i tiden hur efterlevandesamtal har erbjudits, kvantitativ  metod valdes för att det insamlade materialet skulle kunna analyseras. Data samlades in via Svenska Palliativregistret. Resultat: Några av de mindre kommunerna var oftast  bättre på att erbjuda efterlevandesamtal än större kommuner. Den diagnos som gav flest erbjudna efterlevandesamtal var cancerdiagnos oavsett ålder. Störst möjlighet för närstående att erbjudas efterlevandesamtal har de där den avlidne var mellan 0-4 år, vårdades för cancersjukdom och bodde i en liten kommun med tillgång till specialiserad palliativ vård. Det behövs mer forskning om efterlevandesamtal och genom en kvalitativ intervjustudie av distriktssköterskor finns möjligheten att fånga upp deras uppfattning om vad som påverkar att efterlevandesamtal inte erbjuds till alla närstående.

Yes / Children's hospices provide a range of family-centred care services, including bereavement support. Not all hospices provide specific services for grandparents. To explore how a hospice-based bereavement support group supported grandparents in their grief following the death of a grandchild. Methods: Grandparents attending a group were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Questionnaires from eight groups, run between 2015 and 2019 were collated and interpreted to identify themes. Findings: 121 grandparents attended the groups; 113 returned the questionnaires (93% response). Three central themes were identified: environment and space, being with people who understand, and the opportunity to hear the stories of others. Grandparents valued hearing the stories of others, providing an opportunity to reflect on the experience of others. Conclusion: Grandparents felt supported and validated by the group. The facilitated sessions increased coping and resilience of participants, enabling grandparents to support their partner, adult children and surviving grandchildren more effectively.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores the needs of sibling-bereaved adolescents in high schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. A grounded theory approach was used to examine unexpected sibling bereavement with specific focus on participant perceptions and experiences regarding support provided by their high school. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with siblings who were in high school when their brother or sister died suddenly. An argument is developed for why high schools need insight into effective ways of supporting sibling-bereaved adolescents as they attempt to fit in and function at school. As this study was conducted in a multi-language environment, attention is given to the differing abilities of adolescents to articulate their bereavement experience. The effectiveness of focus groups with this population and the importance of providing psycho-education support during the interviewing process are emphasised. The scarcity of studies on adolescent bereavement in South Africa can be attributed to a combination of the emotional painfulness of the subject for adolescents and gatekeeping by school personnel and parents. Understandably, concerns about disclosure and fresh trauma/grief triggering may be given precedence over research. Themes grounded in the data uncovered a psychosocial journey involving disruption, transition and changed self. Bereaved siblings felt singled out as different from their peers when they return to school. Hence discreet acknowledgement and disclosure of the death is important to them. A key finding is that accomplishment plays a significant role in boosting the flagging morale of bereaved adolescents. Accomplishment aids their inviduation and stimulates them to regain interest in their own life goals. While individual teachers and other school personnel were considered helpful, there was an absence of a structured plan of support for bereaved adolescents in the schools examined. Attachment theory foregrounded an explanation of why the loss of a sibling during adolescence can have a lasting influence on the future of those left behind. Most adolescents in the study evidenced a desire for an on-going connection with their sibling who died while they simultaneously took on new roles to try and fill the void created by their death. Findings from this study are intended to provide richer insight into the complexity of adolescent sibling bereavement and may also serve to inform educational and health care interventions for bereaved learners in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie verken die behoeftes van adolessente in hoërskole in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika, ná die verlies van ’n broer of suster. ’n Gegronde-teorie-benadering is gebruik om ondersoek in te stel na adolessente wat onverwags ’n broer of suster verloor het, met bepaalde klem op deelnemers se opvattings oor, en ervarings van, die steun wat hulle van hul onderskeie hoërskole ontvang het. Onderhoude en fokusgroepe is dus gehou met adolessente wat op hoërskool was toe hul broer of suster skielik gesterf het. Die studie beredeneer waarom hoërskole insig moet hê in die doeltreffende ondersteuning van adolessente wat ’n broer of suster aan die dood moes afstaan, namate hulle weer op skool probeer inpas en funksioneer. Aangesien hierdie studie in ’n meertalige omgewing uitgevoer is, word adolessente se wisselende vermoëns om hul ervaring van verlies te verwoord, in ag geneem. Die doeltreffendheid van fokusgroepe met hierdie populasie, sowel as die belang van psigo-opvoedkundige steun gedurende die onderhoudproses, word beklemtoon. Die seldsaamheid van Suid-Afrikaanse studies oor adolessente wat broers of susters verloor, kan toegeskryf word aan ’n kombinasie van die emosionele pyn wat die onderwerp by adolessente oproep, en skoolpersoneel en ouers wat adolessente teen sodanige navorsing beskerm. Uiteraard is dit te verstane dat kommer oor openbaarmaking en die vars trauma/hartseer wat dit kan ontlok, dikwels voorrang kry bo navorsing. Die temas wat in die data vasgelê was, bring ’n psigososiale reis van ontwrigting, oorgang en verandering van die self aan die lig. Adolessente wat broers of susters aan die dood moes afstaan, het met hul terugkeer skool toe uitgesonder en anders as hul portuur gevoel. Dus is oordeelkundige erkenning en openbaarmaking van die sterfgeval vir hulle belangrik. Een van die belangrikste bevindinge is dat prestasie ’n beduidende rol speel om die verswakte moreel van sodanige adolessente ’n hupstoot te gee. Prestasie help met hulle individuasie, en stimuleer hulle om opnuut in hul eie lewensdoelwitte belang te stel. Hoewel individuele onderwysers en ander skoolpersoneel as tegemoetkomend beskou is, was daar geen gestruktureerde ondersteuningsplan vir die adolessente in die betrokke skole nie. Die gehegtheidsteorie doen ’n verklaring aan die hand van waarom die verlies van ’n broer of suster gedurende adolessensie ’n blywende invloed kan hê op die toekoms van die kinders wat agterbly. Die meeste adolessente in die studie het ’n begeerte getoon na ’n voortgesette band met hul oorlede broer of suster, terwyl hu lle terselfdertyd nuwe rolle aanvaar het om die leemte van die oorledene te probeer vul. Bevindinge uit hierdie studie is bedoel om dieper insig te bied in die kompleksiteit van adolessente wat broers of susters verloor, en kan ook opvoedkundige en gesondheidsorgintervensies vir sodanige leerders in Suid-Afrika rig.