Outline:
Grief, Loss, and Transition • Grief, Loss, and Transition: Caring for the Bereaved • Learning Objectives What is Grief • What is the Grief? • Well-Recognized Physical Manifestations of Grief Factors that Affect Grief • Factors Surrounding the Death • Factors within the Mourner • Factors within Society • “Normal” Grief: A Letter • What is “Complicated Grief?” • Grief vs. Depression • The Spiritual Dimension of Grief Healthy Grieving • What is a Major Factor Interfering with Healthy Grieving? • Those Who Grieve Well, Heal Well • Hospice Staff: What about YOUR Grief? Steps to Grief • Step One: Stop Being Afraid of Grief • Step Two: Create Sate Emotional Spaces for Grief • Step Three: Cultivate Compassion by Validating Suffering • Step Four: Develop Self-Compassion by Validating Your Own Suffering Untitled Scene • In Summary • References • Congratulations!

Deborah Grassman is a Nurse Practitioner at Bay Pines VAMC in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has been with the VA for 26 years and was the Director of the Hospice program at the VA for the last 15 years. She is a featured speaker at Hospice and VA conferences throughout the United States and has published numerous articles on providing hospice care to veterans. Ms. Grassman pioneered identifying the effects of past trauma on the quality of a person’s dying process, as well as ways to effectively respond to issues that surface at the end of life. She is the author of the book, Peace at Last: Stories of Hope and Healing for Veterans and their Families. Disclosure: Deborah Grassman, MSN, ARNP has declared that no conflict of interest, Relevant Financial Relationship or Relevant Non-Financial Relationship exists.