The nature and use of bereavement support services in a hospice settingDepartment of Psychology, National University of Ireland at Maynooth, County Kildare, amandaroberts77{at}yahoo.com
Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland at Maynooth, County Kildare This study formed part of a larger project designed to evaluate a hospice-based bereavement support service in Ireland. It involved a detailed assessment of the views of service attenders and non-attenders. A postal survey was administered to all bereaved clients who were invited to one or more bereavement support services (n = 517). Respondents (n = 243; 47%) completed: 1) a Bereavement Services Questionnaire; 2) a measure of grief reaction (TRIG) and 3) a measure of religiosity (SCSORF). A total of 243 people (47%) returned completed questionnaires, most of whom were satisfied with the service, (although not all had attended all elements of the bereavement service). However, a number of improvements were emphasised. Several statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) also emerged between service attenders and non-attenders with respect to grief reaction and other key factors (e.g., the age and relationship to the deceased). The findings emphasise the needs and views of both attenders and non-attenders and provide important lessons for the implementation and development of hospice-based bereavement support services.
Key Words: bereavement services • hospice care • non-attenders • palliative care • service-users
Palliative Medicine, Vol. 22, No. 5,
612-625 (2008) |
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