FINAL STAGES OF CANCER: LOSS, GRIEF, & BEREAVEMENT (2 CE)

Course overview

The progression from the final stages of cancer to the death of a loved one is experienced in different ways by different individuals. The way in which a person will grieve depends on the personality of the grieving individual and his or her relationship with the person who died. The cancer experience, the manner of disease progression, ones cultural and religious beliefs, coping skills and psychiatric history, the availability of support systems, and ones socioeconomic status also affect how a person will cope with grief. Learning Objectives: 1. Review the distinction between grief, mourning, and bereavement. 2. Review the four phases (prediagnostic, acute, chronic, and recover) of a task-based model of life-threatening illness. 3. Review the key elements of the dying trajectory, anticipatory grief, phases of bereavement, and complicated grief. 4. Review the distinctions between grief counseling and grief therapy. 5. Review childrens grief response at different development stages. 6. Review cross-cultural responses to grief and mourning.