Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Grandparents - the forgotten grievers
This short article describes in-depth interviews that were conducted with four bereaved grandparents following the death of a grandchild. Themes that emerged included a)the nature of being a grandparent b)the support needed specifically for grandparents c)exploring sad and happy memories of the grandchild d)survivor guilt and e)the importance of providing support for all relatives in the family.
The author, who is a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, provides a useful reference list on the subject. She says that ethical approval was difficult as this research is very sensitive. The gatekeepers for the grandparents being approached were the parents of the child who died.
Recommendations for practice would include providing time for grandparents to ask questions and to talk about their loss as well as helping them to normalise feelings such as helplessness and guilt so they would feel less alone in their grief.
Hospice Information Bulletin 2004 v3 ano3 p8-9
The author, who is a nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, provides a useful reference list on the subject. She says that ethical approval was difficult as this research is very sensitive. The gatekeepers for the grandparents being approached were the parents of the child who died.
Recommendations for practice would include providing time for grandparents to ask questions and to talk about their loss as well as helping them to normalise feelings such as helplessness and guilt so they would feel less alone in their grief.
Hospice Information Bulletin 2004 v3 ano3 p8-9
# posted by DMB @ 7:28 AM 
