The bereavement experiences and support needs of bereaved family caregivers in the context of palliative care

Abstract

Palliative care services around the world are often mandated to provide support to bereaved family caregivers in the wake of a death in palliative care. At the same time there is increasing debate on the parameters and models of such support and about how and when to provide professional support. Research has focussed important attention on the minority of bereaved caregivers who experience a pathological reaction, most commonly equated with Complicated Grief (CG) or Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) (Hall, 2014). However, such a focus privileges a medical or psychiatric understanding of grief and does not always take into account the breadth and varied bereavement experiences and concomitant support needs of caregivers. The three articles discussed take a rigorous qualitative and interpretive research approach to provide further insights. The research contributes a deepened understanding of the experiences of bereaved caregivers in context of end of life (EOL) or palliative care and invites us to consider the multiple layers and complexities of bereavement support needs.