Dying, death or bereavement
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Dying, death or bereavement
The position and place of employment are Grief Support Counselor at Hospice Social Workers.
The academic and professional background of the interviewee is a degree in grief counseling and grief therapy and works as a grief support counselor at Hospice Social Workers.
We went through a moment of grief that brought about memories of our loved one. There was depression anxiety due to the fear of death that had taken away members of our family and friends from the community where we lived. This led to loneliness, shock, and change of emotions and the affected people experienced sleeping disturbances and could hardly enjoy any moment of their lives. I visited Johnson from Hospice Social a worker who is a grief support counselor with experience in death, dying and bereavement. He helped me to understand how to cope with the loss of loved ones and people who are close to me.
I asked Jonhson the reason why he chose his profession and he said that the profession offers him an opportunity to care for others as well as pursue his passion. He has the desire to help people who are going through difficult moments after the loss, through his help they are able to heal. He has good listening skills to understand what bereaved people go through and emotional strength as he offers counseling services. His patients have been appreciating his support and even refer others to him and he is always ready to assist them (Haine, Sharlene & Wolchik, 2007).
I asked Johnson a detailed description of their role and responsibilities and he said they do anticipatory guidance where their teams prepare people in advance for the losses that might occur. This helps people to deal with painful realities that they cannot avoid and they are not certain of when it can happen. They do the breaking of bad news as a process little by little until the affected people understand it because at that time many of them are confused and take time to understand what they are told. They allow patients to ask questions without assuming that patients know what is happening. They ensure that anxiety is controlled within limits that are tolerable and break the bad news in a home setting with someone to provide emotional support.
The other responsibility is breaking the bad news where they consider the people who are present, the place where they break the new and establish the close relatives of the bereaved people. They disclose the information in a manner that will be understood well and ensure that all the details are clear. They also recognize that it takes more time to hear the bad news as well as understand them. After they have broken the news, they allow the family enough time for them to react emotionally and stay with them up to the time they are ready to leave (Haine, Sharlene & Wolchik, 2007).
The other responsibility is supporting the bereaved people where they visit them one day after the loss has occurred to answer questions that might arise about the cause of death that may trouble the family. For those who are frightened after the loss and the helpless children, they support them. Sometimes they cry with the bereaved people and show them that it is acceptable to express their grief. They give bereaved people assurance that everything will be okay and it is only a matter of time and everything will be back to normalcy (Woodthorpe, 2009).
They prevent and treat complicated grief where they need a lot of skills and information and use a language they understand. They spend a lot of time with people and help them make sense of the bad news they have received. They see them many times to facilitate the process of healing.
I asked Johnson the common challenges they face in their work and he said that loss is untreatable as well as irreversible. After a person has died, they are not able to bring him or her to life again. Sometimes even if they try their best using modern science, patients suffer and eventually die. It is very sad when they assure relatives that they are doing their best to save the life of their loved one but they finally fail. The other challenge is that after a major loss of child or spouse, they have to deal with the risk of heart disease, suicide, and depression that affect the bereaved people (Monk, Houck & Shear, 2007).
I asked Johnson the ethical dilemmas they have encountered and he said that most the times they are exposed to people who are dying which make them fear their own death, they are anxious and unease. Some of the nurses they work with feel uncomfortable to care for patients who are near the end of their life. He said sometimes their emotions are affected when they sympathize with the ailing patients. Sometimes the anxiety of their personal death does not allow them to tell the patients the truth that they are about to die. Some of their nurses go through stressful moments when they are caring for a child and the situation becomes very difficult to cope with (Carmack, Degroot, 2014).
I asked Mr, Johnson, his views about dying, death, afterlife and he said that it is appointed that one day they shall die and every person shall one-day face death. He said that he understands there is death which can occur to himself, a friend, loved ones and even in the communities around him which bring him to a different level of understanding and accepting it. He said that they need to take time and reflect about death so that if it occurs they are able to heal very fast, accept it and find peace even if it occurs to a loved one. When he thinks about death he also believes that there is a life that comes after death which is eternal life with God. Mr. Johnson said that he knows the reality that our bodies will not last here on earth forever and when the time comes to an end, we shall die. He said that people should feel encouraged because, during their final moments when their bodies are weak and need medical care, there are healthcare institutions that will facilitate the transition in a loving as well as a caring way (Monk, Houck & Shear, 2007).
I asked Johnson what advice they can offer someone who is interested in a death-related profession and his answer was that treating patients is one thing but knowing how to handle a family that has suffered the loss of a loved one is something you may not be prepared for. There are very few sessions that train on how to break bad news and support grieving families. Therefore, when facing death or loss, no matter how challenging it can be is a good opportunity to grow as well as learn in order to enrich our lives (Brennan & Letherby, 2017).
I asked Johnson if there was something that they could change in their job, what it would be and why. He said that everything happens at its appointed time because there is time for each event to take place. There is something they could change in their job and that is the way they prepare people for the loss especially in case of terminal illness that has reached a stage that cannot be cured. They should prepare family members in advance and tell them that it is beyond their ability to restore the patient back to a normal state of health. The reason why they should do this is that if they hide the truth from family members they might think that their loved one was denied medical care that could have increased chances of survival. This would also help family members to accept the loss fast and they would not be affected even if their loved one passes away.
I asked Johnson how he would handle suicide case of a grieving person and he said that the grieving people who may commit suicide should not be left alone; they should go through counseling sessions until they heal. The entire things that they can use to commit suicide should be kept away from them, for example, a rope or harmful chemicals.
I asked how he handles people with unresolved grief he said that professional counselor would be very helpful who will help them to process as well as understand their feeling during the difficult event in their life. Early intervention is significant regardless of whether it is a child or an adult in order to facilitate healing. He said that they always take time to listen to what they are going through and they are not in a hurry even when they cry a lot as they narrate to them. Sometimes even the counselors mourn with the bereaved and in the process, they feel that there is someone who understands them and sympathize with their situation (Burles, 2017).
I asked him about the dangers of Persistent grief and he said that it can lead to depression and anxiety. There are also increased chances of high blood pressure, heart diseases, and stroke. The affected people suffer isolation which is dangerous because they reflect on the loss all the time. Grief counselors should be available all the time until they have accepted their situation so that it does not affect their health.
I asked him how he knows that the bereaved family has healed after counseling and he said that the grieving process can take time. Some people can feel better after a few weeks or months while others take years. The most important thing is to be patient and allow the process to occur naturally. They are able to know healing has already taken place when they resume to their normal daily activities, they are in a happy mood and they have resumed to their normal peace of mind (Burles, 2017).
Finally I asked him how I can deal with the process of grieving and he said that the first thing is to acknowledge that you are experiencing pain after the loss, accept that the loss has caused changes in your emotions, understand that you will go through a process of grieving that is unique to you, seek help from people who care and support yourself by taking care of yourself through proper diet (Bernard & Miller, 2017).