Showing posts with label Front Line Workers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Front Line Workers. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Grief is the Response to loss of something meaningful - from the Centre for Complicated Grief
From the following article:
https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/professionals/complicated-grief-professionals/overview/
"Grief is the response to loss of something meaningful Grief is the natural response to losing a loved one. Most people don’t need grief therapists, even when the loss is sudden and unexpected and very, very sad. People have natural ways of adapting to attachment loss, usually with the support of friends and relatives, and everyone does it in their own way. You can think of healing after loss as analogous to healing after a physical wound. The loss, like the injury, triggers a pain response which can be very strong. Injuries also activate a healing process. Loss does too. However, a wound complication, like an infection, can interfere with healing. So, too, maladaptive thoughts, dysfunctional behaviors or inadequate emotion regulation can interfere with adaptation to loss.
CG is not less likely after loss of a rewarding relationship Mental health training does not usually include learning about the syndrome of complicated grief. However, trainees often are taught that grief is complicated if there was an ambivalent relationship to the person who died. This is a misconception. Adapting to a loss is more difficult if a person can imagine how things could have been different. People might do this because the relationship was conflictual. However, this is uncommon. Most people with complicated grief have had an especially strong and rewarding relationship to the person who died.
Key definitions
Grief is the response to loss that contains thoughts, behaviors, emotions and physiological changed; if the loss is permanent, so too is the grief, but its form evolves and changes as a person adapts to the loss
Acute grief occurs in the early period after a loss and often dominates the life of a bereaved person; strong feelings of yearning, longing and sorrow are typical as are insistent thoughts and memories of the person who died. Other painful emotions, including anxiety, anger, remorse, guilt or shame are also common. Activities are often focused on doing or not doing things to try to deal with the loss.
Integrated grief is the lasting form of grief in which loss-related thoughts, feelings and behaviors are integrated into a bereaved person’s ongoing functioning; grief has a place in the person’s life without dominating.
Complicated grief is a persistent form of intense grief in which maladaptive thoughts and dysfunctional behaviors are present along with continued yearning, longing and sadness and/or preoccupation with thoughts and memories of the person who died. Grief continues to dominate life and the future seems bleak and empty. Irrational thoughts that the deceased person might reappear are common and the bereaved person feels lost and alone.
Adapting to loss entails accepting the reality of the death, including its finality, consequences and changed relationship to the person who died; adapting means seeing the future as holding possibilities for a life with purpose and meaning, joy and satisfaction.
Examples of Grief “Complications”
Maladaptive thoughts are typically counterfactual, grief-focused or catastrophizing; its natural to second guess a loved one’s death, especially if it was sudden, unexpected or untimely; most people worry about whether they are grieving in “the right way” and many dread the future in a world without their deceased loved one. People with complicated grief ruminate over these kinds of thoughts.
Dysfunctional behaviors are typically related to avoiding reminders of the loss and/or escaping from the painful reality. A bereaved person may try to feel close to the person who died through sensory stimulation and day dreaming about being with them – looking at pictures, listening to their voice, smelling their clothes, trying to recall what it was like to be together. Bereaved people are often inclined to avoid places, people or activities that hold reminders of the person who died. These behaviors are problematic when they become the only way of managing painful emotions.
Inadequate emotion regulation is another common problem for people with complicated grief. Acute grief is typically highly emotional. Most people have a range of ways to regulate these emotions. They balance the pain with periods of respite, giving themselves permission to set the grief aside for a time. People with complicated grief have trouble doing this; instead, they often focus on things that increase emotional activation. Regular routines including adequate sleep, nourishing meals, adequate exercise and social contacts may be disrupted, making emotions more difficult to manage."
https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/professionals/complicated-grief-professionals/overview/
https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/professionals/complicated-grief-professionals/overview/
"Grief is the response to loss of something meaningful Grief is the natural response to losing a loved one. Most people don’t need grief therapists, even when the loss is sudden and unexpected and very, very sad. People have natural ways of adapting to attachment loss, usually with the support of friends and relatives, and everyone does it in their own way. You can think of healing after loss as analogous to healing after a physical wound. The loss, like the injury, triggers a pain response which can be very strong. Injuries also activate a healing process. Loss does too. However, a wound complication, like an infection, can interfere with healing. So, too, maladaptive thoughts, dysfunctional behaviors or inadequate emotion regulation can interfere with adaptation to loss.
CG is not less likely after loss of a rewarding relationship Mental health training does not usually include learning about the syndrome of complicated grief. However, trainees often are taught that grief is complicated if there was an ambivalent relationship to the person who died. This is a misconception. Adapting to a loss is more difficult if a person can imagine how things could have been different. People might do this because the relationship was conflictual. However, this is uncommon. Most people with complicated grief have had an especially strong and rewarding relationship to the person who died.
Key definitions
Grief is the response to loss that contains thoughts, behaviors, emotions and physiological changed; if the loss is permanent, so too is the grief, but its form evolves and changes as a person adapts to the loss
Acute grief occurs in the early period after a loss and often dominates the life of a bereaved person; strong feelings of yearning, longing and sorrow are typical as are insistent thoughts and memories of the person who died. Other painful emotions, including anxiety, anger, remorse, guilt or shame are also common. Activities are often focused on doing or not doing things to try to deal with the loss.
Integrated grief is the lasting form of grief in which loss-related thoughts, feelings and behaviors are integrated into a bereaved person’s ongoing functioning; grief has a place in the person’s life without dominating.
Complicated grief is a persistent form of intense grief in which maladaptive thoughts and dysfunctional behaviors are present along with continued yearning, longing and sadness and/or preoccupation with thoughts and memories of the person who died. Grief continues to dominate life and the future seems bleak and empty. Irrational thoughts that the deceased person might reappear are common and the bereaved person feels lost and alone.
Adapting to loss entails accepting the reality of the death, including its finality, consequences and changed relationship to the person who died; adapting means seeing the future as holding possibilities for a life with purpose and meaning, joy and satisfaction.
Examples of Grief “Complications”
Maladaptive thoughts are typically counterfactual, grief-focused or catastrophizing; its natural to second guess a loved one’s death, especially if it was sudden, unexpected or untimely; most people worry about whether they are grieving in “the right way” and many dread the future in a world without their deceased loved one. People with complicated grief ruminate over these kinds of thoughts.
Dysfunctional behaviors are typically related to avoiding reminders of the loss and/or escaping from the painful reality. A bereaved person may try to feel close to the person who died through sensory stimulation and day dreaming about being with them – looking at pictures, listening to their voice, smelling their clothes, trying to recall what it was like to be together. Bereaved people are often inclined to avoid places, people or activities that hold reminders of the person who died. These behaviors are problematic when they become the only way of managing painful emotions.
Inadequate emotion regulation is another common problem for people with complicated grief. Acute grief is typically highly emotional. Most people have a range of ways to regulate these emotions. They balance the pain with periods of respite, giving themselves permission to set the grief aside for a time. People with complicated grief have trouble doing this; instead, they often focus on things that increase emotional activation. Regular routines including adequate sleep, nourishing meals, adequate exercise and social contacts may be disrupted, making emotions more difficult to manage."
https://complicatedgrief.columbia.edu/professionals/complicated-grief-professionals/overview/
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Monday, April 6, 2020
Sample Script- Supporting Healthcare Workers during COVID19
I cut all of this information out of the patient script and have copied it into its own script ideas for use when supporting healthcare workers either by phone or in-person:
Specific Responses to Specific Concerns During COVID19:
(Adapted from the resource found at file:///C:/Users/Dell%20User/Documents/Spiritual%20Care%20Education/Telehealth%20Chaplaincy/VitalTalk-COVID19.html / It is a free resource that can be downloaded and you may wish to review the whole document.)
Specific Responses to Specific Concerns During COVID19:
(Adapted from the resource found at file:///C:/Users/Dell%20User/Documents/Spiritual%20Care%20Education/Telehealth%20Chaplaincy/VitalTalk-COVID19.html / It is a free resource that can be downloaded and you may wish to review the whole document.)
When coping needs a boost, or emotions
are running high
What they say
|
What you
say
|
I’m scared.
|
This is such a tough situation. I think
anyone would be scared. Could you share more with me?
|
I need some hope.
|
Tell me about the things you are hoping
for? I want to understand more.
|
Nobody cares about us. You people are
incompetent!
|
I can see why you are not happy with
things. I am willing to do what is in my power to improve things for
you. What could I do that would help?
|
I want to talk to your boss.
|
I can see you are frustrated. I will ask
my boss to come by as soon as they can. Please realize that they are juggling
many things right now.
|
Do I need to say my goodbyes?
|
I’m hoping that’s not the case. And I worry time
could indeed be short. What is most pressing on your mind?
|
Anticipating
When you’re worrying about what might
happen (or when you’re supporting a healthcare provider who is worried about
something that might happen)
What you fear
|
What you
can do
|
That patient’s son is going to be very angry.
|
Before you go in the room, take a moment for one
deep breath. What’s the anger about? Love, responsibility,
fear?
|
I don’t know how to help this family understand
why their loved one isn’t being transferred to the ICU like they want/expect.
|
Remember what you can do: you can hear what she’s
concerned about, you can explain what’s happening, you can help her prepare,
you can be present. These are gifts.
|
I am afraid of burnout, and of losing my heart.
|
Can you look for moments every day where you
connect with someone, share something, enjoy something? It is
possible to find little pockets of peace even in the middle of a maelstrom.
|
I’m worried that I will be overwhelmed and that I
won’t be able to do what is really the best for my patients.
|
Check your own state of being, even if you only
have a moment. If one extreme is “wiped out,” and the other is “feeling
strong,” where am I now? Remember that whatever your own state, that
these feelings are inextricable to our human condition. Can you
accept them, not try to push them away, and then decide what you need
|
Grieving
Supporting
Healthcare Workers Who are Grieving Over the Limitations Imposed on Them by
COVID19
What they are saying or thinking
|
What you
can do
|
I should have been able to do more to support
that person.
|
Notice: am I talking to myself the way I
would talk to a good friend? Could I step back and just feel? Maybe
it’s sadness, or frustration, or just fatigue. Those feelings are normal. And
these times are distinctly abnormal.
|
OMG I cannot believe we don’t have the right
equipment / how mean that person was to me / how everything I do seems like
its blowing up
|
Notice: am I letting everything get to
me? Is all this analyzing really about something else? Like how sad
this is, how powerless I feel, how puny our efforts look? Under these
conditions, such thoughts are to be expected. But we don’t have to let them
suck us under. Can we notice them, and feel them, maybe share them?
And
then ask ourselves: can I step into a less reactive, more balanced
place even as I move into the next thing?
|
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Prayers for Staff Support during the Covid-19 crisis
Prayers written or adapted by chaplains from
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
A Prayer for the Medical Community
*Adapted from a prayer by Alden Solovy
Source of all life,
We are those
Who dedicate their lives to health and healing, Preventing disease, reducing pain,
Prolonging lives, providing hope.
Source of life,
Watch over us
And all who work in the healing professions,
As we serve during times of health and
In the times of our deepest needs,
As we struggle with decisions none should have to make, Bless our hands with kindness and compassion,
Our eyes with clarity,
Our hearts with courage,
And our souls with love and forgiveness,
So that we can carry on in the midst of what might be Choices that may conflict with doing no harm.
Bless us with fortitude and strength.
Source of life, we pray that there will come
A time when we can embrace an end to pain and suffering, So that as physicians, nurses, and members of the care team, we may find rest in You.
Source of all life,
Bless our team members in this hospital With peace that surpasses all understanding.
*Adapted from a prayer by Alden Solovy
Source of all life,
We are those
Who dedicate their lives to health and healing, Preventing disease, reducing pain,
Prolonging lives, providing hope.
Source of life,
Watch over us
And all who work in the healing professions,
As we serve during times of health and
In the times of our deepest needs,
As we struggle with decisions none should have to make, Bless our hands with kindness and compassion,
Our eyes with clarity,
Our hearts with courage,
And our souls with love and forgiveness,
So that we can carry on in the midst of what might be Choices that may conflict with doing no harm.
Bless us with fortitude and strength.
Source of life, we pray that there will come
A time when we can embrace an end to pain and suffering, So that as physicians, nurses, and members of the care team, we may find rest in You.
Source of all life,
Bless our team members in this hospital With peace that surpasses all understanding.
A Prayer for Team Members Struggling with Medical Decisions
Creator God,
I have done all that I can within this horrific time of crisis and lack of resources, to provide what our patients need for healing.
I know that I am not alone.
I am surrounded by compassionate and wise medical experts, who are doing their best within their power and abilities, as well.
We all are doing everything we can to help those who are struggling for life.
I trust in you, Merciful One, to know my heart and have compassion on me. You are with me.
Release me, from any guilt or fear, as I look to you for wisdom in these awful times.
Help me to honor each life, even as I may sometimes, have to let it go.
I trust you to carry each one into your loving embrace.
May they all, rest in your peace And I as well.
Amen
Creator God,
I have done all that I can within this horrific time of crisis and lack of resources, to provide what our patients need for healing.
I know that I am not alone.
I am surrounded by compassionate and wise medical experts, who are doing their best within their power and abilities, as well.
We all are doing everything we can to help those who are struggling for life.
I trust in you, Merciful One, to know my heart and have compassion on me. You are with me.
Release me, from any guilt or fear, as I look to you for wisdom in these awful times.
Help me to honor each life, even as I may sometimes, have to let it go.
I trust you to carry each one into your loving embrace.
May they all, rest in your peace And I as well.
Amen
A Prayer for a Respiratory Therapist
Source of all life,
I have done all that I can to provide the oxygen that each patient needs to breathe.
I know that all of us
have done what was within our power and abilities to help our patients in their struggle for life.
Release me, from guilt or fear,
as I have made difficult decisions with our team members in this time of great crisis and unimaginable circumstances.
Help me to honor each life,
even as I have to let some go,
trusting you to carry each one into your loving embrace.
Amen
Source of all life,
I have done all that I can to provide the oxygen that each patient needs to breathe.
I know that all of us
have done what was within our power and abilities to help our patients in their struggle for life.
Release me, from guilt or fear,
as I have made difficult decisions with our team members in this time of great crisis and unimaginable circumstances.
Help me to honor each life,
even as I have to let some go,
trusting you to carry each one into your loving embrace.
Amen
Daily Mantra for the Care Team
In all that we do today,
through every encounter,
with patients, with family members, with hospital staff, with each other,
and with ourselves,
may we be guided by wisdom and compassion.
Daily Blessing for the Care Team
As we start our day, let us remember these words, with a slight adaptation at the end, from an18th century poet, Henri-Frederic Amiel:
“Friends, we know that life is short and we have too little time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind” and may the blessing of God or all that sustains you, keep you safe, grant you peace and fill you with all that you need, just for today.
Amen
In all that we do today,
through every encounter,
with patients, with family members, with hospital staff, with each other,
and with ourselves,
may we be guided by wisdom and compassion.
Daily Blessing for the Care Team
As we start our day, let us remember these words, with a slight adaptation at the end, from an18th century poet, Henri-Frederic Amiel:
“Friends, we know that life is short and we have too little time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind” and may the blessing of God or all that sustains you, keep you safe, grant you peace and fill you with all that you need, just for today.
Amen
A Prayer for the Environmental Service Staff Member
Be present, Merciful Creator,
with those who labor on this day,
especially those who keep this facility clean and orderly.
Give them strength to endure hardship, courage to overcome fear,
and protection against all harm.
We thank you for the work they do, and pray that they find times of rest and peace in the midst of their days.
May they know the importance of their work and the value of their service
to each and every patient and family.
May they be surrounded by your love and care. Amen
Be present, Merciful Creator,
with those who labor on this day,
especially those who keep this facility clean and orderly.
Give them strength to endure hardship, courage to overcome fear,
and protection against all harm.
We thank you for the work they do, and pray that they find times of rest and peace in the midst of their days.
May they know the importance of their work and the value of their service
to each and every patient and family.
May they be surrounded by your love and care. Amen
A Prayer for Physicians
For the physicians -
To that Spirit that brings unity with all beings -
We beg...
...Give us wisdom to see what is mindful and just in chaos.
...Give us peace that passes understanding even as we work in hell.
...Give us patience to wait and watch when the need feels so immediate.
...Give us knowledge that rightly engages the intellectual and then moves beyond, when needed, to encounter our souls.
...Give us courage to move forward in paralyzing fear and doubt.
...Give us physical and emotional strength to persevere in the face of crippling hours and dire circumstances.
...Give us a binding connection to all those we encounter that acknowledges our oneness.
...Give us sight beyond what is immediate to what may be eternal.
...Give us discernment to remember and interpret our Hippocratic Oath with much grace for ourselves in our unrelenting situation.
...Give us a community that brings encouragement, vulnerability, and safety. ...Give us a love for self and others that is authentic and evident.
...Give us a hope that convinces us that what we are doing matters in each unfathomable moment and in those moments we have yet to know.
...Give those that we love the most peace as futures are contemplated; even as it feels our continued health may be in peril.
Amen
For the physicians -
To that Spirit that brings unity with all beings -
We beg...
...Give us wisdom to see what is mindful and just in chaos.
...Give us peace that passes understanding even as we work in hell.
...Give us patience to wait and watch when the need feels so immediate.
...Give us knowledge that rightly engages the intellectual and then moves beyond, when needed, to encounter our souls.
...Give us courage to move forward in paralyzing fear and doubt.
...Give us physical and emotional strength to persevere in the face of crippling hours and dire circumstances.
...Give us a binding connection to all those we encounter that acknowledges our oneness.
...Give us sight beyond what is immediate to what may be eternal.
...Give us discernment to remember and interpret our Hippocratic Oath with much grace for ourselves in our unrelenting situation.
...Give us a community that brings encouragement, vulnerability, and safety. ...Give us a love for self and others that is authentic and evident.
...Give us a hope that convinces us that what we are doing matters in each unfathomable moment and in those moments we have yet to know.
...Give those that we love the most peace as futures are contemplated; even as it feels our continued health may be in peril.
Amen
A Prayer for Nurses
Holy One, my call to nursing was born out of compassion and hope to bring health and healing to those in my care.
In times when I feel weak, connect me to my strength.
In times when I am afraid, connect me to my courage.
In times when I feel lost, connect me to your presence.
On days when it feels overwhelming, remind me to breathe deeply and do the next right thing.
Reveal to me each day the beauty that comes from my work; The healing that comes from my hands;
The comfort that comes from my presence;
The hope that comes from my soul.
As I fulfill this sacred call, please keep me safe from harm. Amen.
Holy One, my call to nursing was born out of compassion and hope to bring health and healing to those in my care.
In times when I feel weak, connect me to my strength.
In times when I am afraid, connect me to my courage.
In times when I feel lost, connect me to your presence.
On days when it feels overwhelming, remind me to breathe deeply and do the next right thing.
Reveal to me each day the beauty that comes from my work; The healing that comes from my hands;
The comfort that comes from my presence;
The hope that comes from my soul.
As I fulfill this sacred call, please keep me safe from harm. Amen.
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
White Ribbon Campaign
https://saugeentimes.com/white-ribbon-campaign-shows-appreciation-for-health-care-providers-and-first-responders/
Tie a white ribbon on your property to show your support to front line workers.
Tie a white ribbon on your property to show your support to front line workers.
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