The National Archive of Grief Support Studies
The National Archive of Grief Support Studies(NAGSS) database provides bibliographical information and summaries of recent articles selected for their relevance to grief and bereavement service providers. The articles that are summarized are selected from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals and are intended to highlight key concepts as well as provide a brief statement of implications for service providers. Bibliographical information may be used to obtain the original article.
Informal Carer Bereavement Outcome: Relation to Quality of End of Life Support and Achievement of Preferred Place of Death
Authors:
Grande, G. E.
Ewing, G.
Source:
Palliative Medicine: 2009, 23, pp. 248-256.
Summary
This article summarizes the results of a study designed to explore the impact of death and of the caregiver’s satisfaction with the end of life care on caregivers’ bereavement outcomes. Caregivers completed a variety of questionnaires to provide data on their own health and their grief experiences. Even though the study indicated that caregivers had a preference for the place of death to be home or hospice, the results showed the place of death did not have a significant relationship with the caregiver’s bereavement or health outcomes. However, there was a significant relationship between the perceived sufficiency of the information and psychological support received by the caregiver and the caregiver’s bereavement outcomes. Lack of information and mental health support provided to caregivers was related to worse grief and mental health outcomes. The findings from this study indicate that caregivers who receive informational and psychological support during their love one’s final days have a better bereavement outcome.
Key Words: anticipatory, support
Service Provider Implications
This study suggests that people who provide informal care to patients in hospice settings would benefit from receiving more information regarding end-of-life care. In addition, the informal caregivers may benefit from receiving more psychological support prior to the death of their loved one.
