Discover how a pioneering hospital-based program provided crucial bereavement support to families during the tumultuous first wave of COVID-19, and explore the lessons learned for future palliative care practices.
– by The Don
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Connecting Families to Bereavement Resources: A Hospital-Based, Bereavement Follow-Up Pilot During First-Wave COVID-19.
Cullen et al., J Palliat Med 2024
<!– DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2023.0375 //–>
https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2023.0375
Listen up, folks, we’ve got hospitals out there, big ones, and they’re missing something huge – bereavement programs. It’s true. The families, they’re left alone, to deal with grief all by themselves. And let me tell you, when COVID-19 hit, it got even tougher, believe me.
So, what did we do? We came up with a fantastic, cost neutral pilot. It’s smart, very smart. We used our chaplains, great people, and a social worker – top-notch – to reach out to the next of kin of patients who, sadly, passed away. They made calls, gave support, and let me tell you, they did it with a guide that was just perfect.
We’re talking about a big city hospital here, the kind that takes care of the toughest cases. And in just five months, they had to deal with 186 deaths. But our team, they didn’t back down. They made 81 calls, and 51 of those, they were complete – a huge success. And out of those, 14 families said ‘yes’ to getting more help. That’s 14 families who got the support they needed.
Bottom line: This pilot was a winner. It connected 81 next of kin with the help they deserved, and 14 took a step further for even more support. We did something great here, and it didn’t even cost extra. That’s how you make a difference, folks.