Bereavement Support and Role of Bereavement Coordinator in Hospice
Presented by Danette M. Muzic
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This course would be appropriate for anyone interested in understanding the role of bereavement and the bereavement coordinator in hospice. This would include hospice leadership, registered nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, and bereavement coordinators. In this course, we will discuss the Medicare Conditions of Participation expectations of hospice bereavement—when does bereavement support begin, and whom do we support? Additionally, this course will explore the significant value of offering bereavement support by the bereavement coordinator prior to the death of the patient—why is this best practice, and what are the triggers to initiate? Bereavement assessment, including risk factors and protective factors, will be discussed as well as the utilization of the Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT). Finally, characteristics of a robust bereavement program will be described.
Meet your instructor
Danette M. Muzic
After spending 15 years in private practice counseling, Danette M. Muzic felt as though she had come home when she began hospice work more than 12 years ago. Danette is passionate about companioning patients and families through the dying process and bereavement. As manager of support services for a large hospice…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Role of Bereavement in Hospice
In this chapter, we will discuss an overview of the Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation requirements for bereavement support. It will be made clear that bereavement support begins at the time of admission of the hospice patient and continues for a minimum of 12 months following the death of the patient. Bereavement support should be offered by the hospice team to anyone impacted by the illness and death of the patient.
2. Role of Bereavement Coordinator
In this chapter, we discuss the role of the bereavement coordinator as integral and vital to the hospice interdisciplinary team. The bereavement coordinator should be viewed as the grief and loss expert in the agency and sought to provide this unique and important support before, during, and after the death of the patient.
3. Understanding Bereavement Risk
Grief is a unique journey for everyone. As a result, there are no scientifically validated assessment tools to assess bereavement risk for complicated or prolonged grief. In this chapter, we discuss how to think critically and determine the interplay with a bereaved person’s risk factors and protective factors in order to determine overall risk. Additionally, the Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT) is discussed as a tool used in the industry to assist in gathering this information.
4. Developing a Robust Bereavement Program
In this chapter, we explore some of the hallmark elements of a well-developed bereavement program. This includes predeath bereavement, bereavement support to the interdisciplinary team, community partners in care, patients, families, and the community as needed. Thorough documentation of the bereavement care plan, goals, and interventions, with indication of resolving goals, is also described.
More courses in this series
Spiritual Care in Hospice and the Role of the Spiritual Counselor
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Bereavement Support and Role of Bereavement Coordinator in Hospice
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The Role of the Social Worker in Hospice Care
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Cultural Competence in End-of-Life Care
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