Hospice Bereavement Support In Alameda City, California
Bereavement stress can be debilitating. Occasionally, people simply require processing their emotions with someone outside their immediate family or tight network.
Our Bereavement Support Team can assist parents, adolescents and children through trained volunteer family workers and counsellors.
Melodia Care’s volunteer program is regulated and supervised by a team of certified counsellors and social workers. Typically, the Family Support Worker would visit individuals in their homes. Each session is approximately an hour long. The number and frequency of visits will be agreed upon between you and the support worker.
You may prefer to join one of our groups and connect with people who have suffered a loss. We offer Bereavement Support Groups that are tailored to the individual’s requirements. You may be offered the opportunity to join one of these groups following an examination. The primary goal of the meetings is to create a secure space for discussion and mutual support with other bereaved individuals.
Grieving is such a distinctive experience that it is unique to each person. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Time alone does not heal; we can begin to work through the suffering only after we have grieved.
Bereavement & Grief
Bereavement care is a critical component of hospice care since it entails predicting grieving reactions and giving continual support to the bereaved over 13 months. While the phrases are frequently used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of being without a loved one, whereas grief is the emotional response to loss.
Grief In The Aftermath Of A Death
Bereavement is the period of grief and mourning that follows the death of a loved one. When you grieve, it is a natural part of the process of responding to a loss. Grief can manifest as mental, bodily, social or emotional response. Anger, guilt, worry, sadness and despair are all examples of mental reactions. Bodily responses can include difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite, physical discomfort or illness.
How long bereavement lasts depends on your relationship with the deceased, if the death was anticipated and other factors considered. Support may come from friends, family and through faith. Grief counselling or therapy can also be beneficial for certain people.
Each of us embarks on a path of loss and recovery. Allow yourself to consider the possibility that not everyone experiences and copes with a loved one’s death in the same manner. Given the diversity of cultural and religious practices used to assist persons experiencing loss in communities, it’s important to recognize that no “one approach” or “one strategy” works for everyone.
Melodia Care Hospice’s grieving services are centered on the following:
- Assisting family members in comprehending and progressing through the grief process by facilitating the expression of their thoughts and feelings and assisting them in identifying or developing and utilizing healthy coping mechanisms
- Assisting families in resolving adjustment concerns
- Providing direction for decision-making
- Taking care of social and spiritual issues
- Assisting survivors in adjusting to a world without the departed while maintaining a (reformed) contact with the deceased
- It is critical to pay attention to and respect the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the families and caregivers served by Melodia Care Hospice in developing and providing appropriate grief care.
Suffering from Grief
Grief is a natural and anticipated response to loss. Grief is an individual experience; there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Each person grieves uniquely. The first year of mourning is the most traumatic, since the bereaved suffer the “year of firsts” without their loved one, such as their first birthday, first holiday and first anniversary.
The grieving process entails the following tasks:
- Accepting the loss’s reality
- Experiencing the anguish of grief
- Adapting to a world where the deceased is no longer present
- Moving on with life
The majority of suffering through which everyone has to make their way is each task of the grieving process eventually leading to healing itself; nevertheless, occasionally, bereaved people endure “complex sorrow”. Complicated mourning occurs when the natural grieving processes become intense or prolonged. This could be a sign of a psychological illness such as sadness or anxiety. A referral to a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist may be warranted in certain instances.
Family members are frequently stumped at the moment of death and may require gentle guidance in making decisions. At the moment of death, the following activities can aid family members in their early grieving process:
- As the family recalls the departed patient, listen.
- Facilitate religious/spiritual rituals – call the family priest or hospice chaplain for assistance.
- Enable family members to assist with body care if requested and allow them to remain present with the corpse for as long as they choose.
Hope After Loss
Each person grieves uniquely. Because sorrow and loss are highly individual experiences, we listen and tailor our grieving program to your unique circumstances and customs.
Each of our locations has a dedicated bereavement coordinator who can assist family, friends and loved ones. Additionally, Melodia Care provides support services to the communities in which we operate.
Support may begin before death and last up to a year. Even after that, we remain ready to assist you in coping with loss. There is no fee for bereavement services and you have this option available to you should you choose it.
Anticipatory Grief: What Is It?
Caregivers and patients may experience grief in response to impending death. These are natural reactions to loss and may assist you in preparing for the emotional depth of grieving following the death.
Anticipatory sadness manifests itself in various ways, most frequently as anxieties about impending or real losses. These anxieties may include the following:
- Adapting to life without a loved one
- Family structure disintegration
- A new beginning – travelling the untrodden path
- Losing touch with your social life
- Companionship is being lost
- Independence is eroding
- Constantly losing control
Providing You With Time & Space
If you have suffered a loss and have difficulty adjusting, you may benefit from professional bereavement counselling. Communicating and sharing your feelings can be beneficial and for many people, having the support of family and friends is sufficient. However, because this type of support is not always available, a bereavement counsellor can provide you with the time and space to discuss your feelings, relationship with the deceased, other changes in your life and plans.
At Melodia Care Hospice, we have a team of fully qualified bereavement counsellors who donate their time. They are accessible for eight complimentary 1:1 individual counselling sessions. For additional information or request a self-referral form, please call Patient Services on 1- 888 635-6347 (MELODI-7).
Additionally, our staff of IAPT-accredited (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) counsellors is available to you. You may be referred by your primary care physician. Simply visit your primary care physician and request a referral to Melodia Care counselling service.
Additionally, you can join our weekly Meditation Group. It provides a room to practice mindfulness practices and provides a haven of calm and quiet during your mourning journey. Additionally, our Talking Space Group can assist. It’s an informal afternoon group, and you’re welcome to drop in for a conversation, a cup of tea and a piece of cake – we’re here to listen.
Grief's Effect On Healthcare Professionals
When caring for dying patients, healthcare staff may also experience grief. If the patient has been in their care for an extended period, the healthcare personnel may experience more intense sadness. Bereavement support is critical for healthcare personnel, particularly hospice employees.
Melodia Care Hospice bereavement professionals play a critical role in promoting awareness and action around sorrow and loss. Hospice bereavement programs address the grief and loss concerns of hospice patients and families, staff and volunteer grief and loss needs and community-wide grief and loss needs. In this way, hospice bereavement specialists act as effective community champions, advocating for increased awareness of sorrow and attention to the grieving population’s needs. Interim Hospice bereavement practitioners may also advocate for education and research that advances our understanding of grief and loss and identifies the most effective therapies for healthy coping of loss.
You can reach us at any time by contacting us through our 24/7 online customer support chat or by calling 1-888 635-6347 (MELODI-7) & Melodia Care Hospice.