Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T12:01:24.164Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bereavement Programs and Services in the Province of Alberta: A Mapping Report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2016

Donna M. Wilson  and
Robyn Playfair
Donna M. Wilson*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta
Robyn Playfair
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta
*
†La correspondance et les demandes de tire-à-part doivent être adressées à: / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Donna M. Wilson, R.N., Ph.D. Faculty of Nursing, Third Floor ECHA Building, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9 ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This 2014 mapping exercise sought to identify and describe all bereavement support programs and services in the province of Alberta, and compare these to those available four years previously. Bereavement is a common life experience, especially among older persons, with support often needed to assist recovery. We sought program and service information through systematic searches and the snowball technique to identify providers and interview them. Although considerable (330%) growth, and more diversity in providers, programs, and services was evident, bereavement programs were no longer publicly funded. Instead, programs and services were now grassroots in origin, with individuals and community groups largely designing and providing bereavement support services. Bereavement programs are important, particularly for elderly persons who may be the most impacted by the death of a loved one. Whether governments should fund and/or provide these programs is a question that also needs to be addressed.

Résumé

Cet exercice de cartographie en 2014 avait comme but d’ identifier et de décrire tous les programmes et services de soutien pendant le deuil dans la province entière de l’Alberta, et de les comparer aux ceux-ci disponibles quatre années d’avant. Le deuil est une expérience commune dans la vie, en particulier chez les personnes âgées, et le soutien est souvent nécessaire pour aider leur récupération. Nous avons cherché des informations sur les programmes et les services par le biais de recherches systématiques et la technique «boule de neige» est utilisée pour identifier les fournisseurs et les interviewer. Bien qu’une croissance considérable (330%), et une plus grande diversité parmi les fournisseurs, les programmes et les services, étaient évidente, nous avons découvert que les programmes de deuil ne sont plus encore financés par l’État. Au contraire, les programmes et les services existants proviennent maintenant de la base, avec des individus et des groupes communautaires offrant, pour la plupart, la conception et la fourniture de services de soutien aux personnes en deuil. Les programmes de deuil sont importants, en particulier pour les personnes âgées qui peuvent être les plus touchées par la mort d un être cher. Les résultats de ces programmes nécessitent une évaluation comparative. Si les gouvernements devraient fournir et / ou financer de tels programmes est une question qu’on doit également prendre en compte.

Keywords

agingbereavementgriefservicesprogramsevaluationvieillissmentdouleurdeuilservicesprogrammesévaluation
Type
Policy and Practice Note / Note de politique et practique
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , June 2016 , pp. 273 - 278
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association. (2016). Grief and bereavement support. Retrieved on March 18, 2016 from http://ahpca.ca/ahpca-directory-by-service-category/Google Scholar
Alberta Vital Statistics. (2014). Death related statistics, 2012. Edmonton, AL: Government of Alberta. Retrieved on March 18, 2016 from http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/pdf/vs/2012Deaths.pdfGoogle Scholar
Christ, G. H., Siegel, K., & Christ, A. E. (2002). Adolescent grief: It never really hit me … until it actually happened. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(10), 1269–1278.Google Scholar
Hansson, R. O., & Stroebe, M. S. (2003). Grief, older adulthood. In Gullotta, T. P. & Bloom, M. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of primary prevention and health promotion (pp. 515–521). New York, NY: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holland, J. M., Currier, J. M., & Gallagher-Thompson, D. (2009). Outcomes from the resources for enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH) program for bereaved caregivers. Psychology of Aging, 24(1), 190–202. doi: 10.1037/a0014303CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, N., Oliff, P., & Williams, E. (2011). An update on state budget cuts. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Retrieved on March 18, 2016 from http://www.cbpp.org/research/an-update-on-state-budget-cutsGoogle Scholar
Kang, H. Y., & Yoo, Y. S. (2007). Effects of a bereavement intervention program in middle-aged widows in Korea. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 21(3), 132–140.Google Scholar
Ma, V., Webber, E., & Crowell, P. (2014). Environmental scan of bereavement services at North American pediatric and maternity hospitals: A quality assurance study. Journal of Investigative Medicine, 62(1), 228.Google Scholar
Manor, O., & Eisenbach, Z. (2003). Mortality after spousal loss: Are there socio-demographic differences? Social Science & Medicine, 56(2), 405–413.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newson, R. S., Boelen, P. A., Hek, K., Hofman, A., & Tiemeier, H. (2011). The prevalence and characteristics of complicated grief in older adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 132(1), 231–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care. (2011). Not to be forgotten. Care of vulnerable Canadians. Ottawa, ON: An ad hoc committee of the House of Commons. Retrieved on March 18, 2016 from http://pcpcc-cpspsc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ReportEN.pdfGoogle Scholar
Stroebe, M. S., Hansson, R. O., Schut, H., & Stroebe, W. E. (2008). Handbook of bereavement research and practice: Advances in theory and intervention. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Stroebe, M. S., Hansson, R. O., Stroebe, W., & Schut, H. (2001). Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Wilson, D. M., Cohen, J., Deliens, L., MacLeod, R., Hewitt, J. A., & Houttekier, D. (in press). Bereavement grief intensity—Is the bereavement grief intensity of survivors associated with their perception of the quality of death for their loved one? Humanities, 4, 1–x. doi: 10.3390/h30x000xGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization. (2016). WHO definition of palliative care. Geneva, Switzerland: Author. Retrieved March 18, 2016 from http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/Google Scholar