Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

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.