Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 7, Issue 12
December 2007
http://www.hospicefoundation.org
December 2007
In this issue:
- Message from David Abrams, President/CEO
- Focus on: Planning for Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents
- What's New @ HFA's Hospice and Caregiving Blog
- HFA In the News
- Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents
- Host a Downlink Site!
Message from David Abrams, President/CEO
During the past month, several hospices and site coordinators have contacted HFA asking for materials to reach out to schools interested the Living With Grief 2008 teleconference. One hospice is even offering to sponsor sites at area schools in its community. If you have contacts in the school community, let them know about HFA's 2008 teleconference. The critical job that school administrators and teachers have surrounding the issues of child and adolescent grief will be a focus of the panel, and the support that bereavement experts from hospice and/or grief centers can offer schools will also be addressed.
As we at HFA wish everyone a happy and peaceful holiday season, we know that many of our readers care professionally for those who are grieving, and for whom the holidays can bring additional difficulties. HFA offers some excellent resources that provide support and assistance during this time.
Focus on: Planning for Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents
Recently in Washington, the program content for HFA's upcoming national bereavement teleconference, Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents was the subject of intense focus during a planning meeting with the full panel. As one panelist noted, "loss requires children to recreate a world out of turmoil." The panelists explored the ways that children attempt this feat, and how adults around them can help.
The teleconference will be moderated again by Frank Sesno, an Emmy-award winning journalist, special correspondent with CNN and a faculty member George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. Panelists will include:
- Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, MDiv, Professor of Gerontology at the graduate school of The College of New Rochelle and Senior Bereavement Consultant to HFANancy Hogan, PhD, RN, FAAN, distinguished professor and associate dean for research at Loyola University--ChicagoRita Milburn-Dobson, MA, RNC, FT, founder of Precious Gems Supportive Services (PGSS)Laura Olague, M.Ed., CT, executive director and co-founder of the Children’s Grief Center of El PasoStacy Orloff, EdD, vice president of Palliative Care and Community Programs of the Hospices of the Florida Suncoast
- J. William Worden, PhD, ABPP, co-principal investigator for Harvard's Child Bereavement Study, based at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The panelists all work first-hand with grieving children and adolescents and bring a great depth of experience and research to the teleconference. One thing that the panelists share is their admiration for the amazing resiliency that many children and adolescents exhibit when coping with loss. And all have seen first hand how others, though their behavior and other reactions to loss, show a great need for intervention. While all agreed that both of these ends of the spectrum should be discussed during the teleconference, Nancy Hogan added the salient reminder that, "it's all of those kids in the middle" that are often left out of the discussion. Bill Worden echoed that, noting that he has found in the Harvard Bereavement Study that close to 50% of children who experience loss continue to experience anxiety about the surviving parent almost 2 years after the loss.
Each panelist shared how the experience of loss within the children of their particular community may be impacted by cultural and spiritual factors. As young people may model coping skills after their parents, taking these factors into account can be critical. However, Stacy Orloff reminded everyone that while recognizing and respecting spiritual beliefs and cultural backgrounds is essential, children also need someone to ask them, "How can I help you cope today?" and to create opportunities for honest communication.
Just as professionals need to create opportunities for communication, organizations need to create opportunities to educate the community about the support that is available. The panelists shared some creative ways that their organizations have achieved this. Rita Milburn-Dobson shared the success that Precious Gems Supportive Services has had in teaching classes to surviving parents on coping skills and parenting. This approach recognizes a critical underlying factor for children, which is the role that the functionality of the parent plays in the child's adjustment to the loss. At the Children's Grief Center of El Paso, Laura Olague has formed a partnership with a local funeral home to help children identify some of the misperceptions around the funeral process, and to allow a frank and honest discussion about the fears or anxieties that some young people may have.
A major theme of the day's discussion was the need for grieving children and adolescents to know that there is at least one person who is there to support them. Often the desire to "protect" from grief and loss can cause an imbalance of trust. Children's experiences must be respected and validated in order to help them survive and grow through their loss.
See the teleconference segment summaries here.
What's New @ HFA's Hospice and Caregiving Blog
In October, HFA unveiled the Hospice and Caregiving Blog with the goal of gathering and disseminating information useful to professionals and consumers from a single destination. Our goals are to inform, offer support, and generate online comments about important end-of life issues. Read some of the blog's most recent postings:
- Informing the Public About Hospice in the Internet Age
- An Inordinate Response to Loss
- Coping With Grief During the Holidays
HFA's Senior Bereavement Consultant Dr. Kenneth Doka recently appeared on CNN discussing the grief that families may be dealing with after the tragic mall shooting in Omaha. Dr. Doka will also be conducting a series of national and statewide radio interviews to give advice on dealing with grief during the holidays.
Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents
HFA's 15th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, Living With Grief: Children and Adolescents, will be broadcast Wednesday, April 16, 2008. HFA's 2008 Teleconference will focus on the experience of grieving children and adolescents and the ways that hospice professionals, teachers and school administrators, grief counselors, funeral directors, and parents can best support these populations as they cope with loss and grief. The program and newly published book will focus on the most current theories and practices in this area, and as always will combine academic research with hands-on ideas for use in hospice support groups and other settings.
Registered sites can be found on HFA's Find-A-Site database. This list is updated on a weekly basis so if there isn't a site near you, please check back in a few days.
If you haven't done so before, HFA encourages you to consider hosting a downlink site for the 2008 teleconference. Read some FAQs about the teleconference here to learn about the benefits and the technical requirements of hosting. Please contact us at telecon@hospicefoundation.org if you have any questions or need more information.
Please Note: Due to the recent storms which have resulted in power outages in many parts of the country, the deadline for early registration has been extended to December 31. Registering early allows you to access the teleconference and all support materials for just $25 per downlink site. The Site Coordinator registration form is available from a link on the homepage of our website, www.hospicefoundation.org, or directly here. This year, you can register and pay the materials fee online with a credit card. Alternatively, you may download the application from HFA's website and mail it to us with a check, money order, or credit card to our Washington, DC address. After we receive your registration and materials payment, you will receive a detailed Site Coordinator's Manual in the mail and a password to access teleconference materials on our website.
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