Journal
ANNALS OF PALLIATIVE MEDICINE
Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 953-963Publisher
AME PUBLISHING COMPANY
DOI: 10.21037/apm-20-708
Keywords
Bereavement; grief; palliative care; caregivers; neuro-oncology
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Bereavement care is crucial before and after the death of a patient, as it helps family caregivers cope with the loss and prepare for the inevitable. Despite limited research, it is important to provide support for caregivers facing the death of a loved one, especially in neuro-oncology where prognoses are often limited.
Bereavement care is best conceptualized as a preventive model of care. It is an integral component of palliative care where support for the family begins at the time of diagnosis and continues beyond the death of the patient. Even though grief is a normal response to loss, the death of a loved one is believed to be the most powerful stressor in everyday life with the potential to cause great distress in all those closely associated with the deceased. In neuro-oncology, where patients often face limited prognoses, knowledge about approaches to bereavement support is particularly important. Despite this, research into the experience of bereaved caregivers is limited. As such, an opportunity exists to identify ways to help family caregivers not only cope with the death of their loved one but also to help families prepare for the death ahead of time. In this article, we offer guidelines about how best to support family caregivers before and after the death of the patient, drawing on the palliative care and bereavement literature.
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