Person-centered Client Care
Why Do Caregivers Continue to Regularly Attend Caregiver Support Group Sessions after the Deaths of Their Loved Ones?
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rose Nakamura Mrs., Michael Cheang
Much research have been published regarding the value of bereavement support groups, but little is known about how caregiver support groups may provide valuable, continuing support for those caregivers who are in bereavement. This paper documents the phenomenon of caregivers who continue to regularly attend caregiver support sessions even though their loved ones have passed away and despite the availability of bereavement support groups. This qualitative study explored the reasons why caregivers in bereavement continue to attend the caregivers support group sessions, sometimes years beyond the death of their loved one. Data from the survey and personal interviews suggest the caregivers fall along a continuum of three categories of caregivers—the independent lifelong learner, the sociable, and the bonded. In the midst of a rapidly aging population, the caregivers have become elders themselves, and the need to compassionately care for the elderly caregiver is more crucial than ever before. While bereavement support services offered by hospices can be very helpful for the bereaved, findings from this “Caregiver Graduate” study yield some surprising insights and important reasons why the caregivers who are now the bereaved continue to regularly come to the support group sessions.
Mental Health, Trauma, and Family Grief: Living and Coping after a Traumatic Event
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Keba Richmond Green Ma
The recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were shot and killed has left a devastating path of grief and loss. FBI Tom Fuentes said on CNN, “Guns repeatedly are falling in the hands of mentally disturbed people who commit these acts with far too much frequency.” Many families are reluctant or hesitant to receive counseling or therapy for their families in regards to dealing with a mental ill family member or child. This workshop will help identify areas where the family process is failing, identify how to respond, and provide research and practical approaches to help families cope with mental health, trauma, and family grief. There is a disparity between cultural beliefs concerning trauma, mental illness and therapeutic treatment approaches that work. There are also misconceptions about the power of grief and loss and how it’s experienced differently for men, women, children, and family as a whole. Our goal is to offer individuals, communities, and states timely, accurate information and useful tools and resources to keep people safe where they live, work, play, and learn.
