Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter - October 2001
Hospice Foundation of America E-Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 8
October 2001
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Message from David Abrams, President
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It's one day short of one month since the murderous attack on the U.S. In the aftermath, experts have begun to focus on the effects these losses have had on various aspects of society. We can't seem to get out of our minds the huge number of children who lost parents or relatives in this attack; no one knows how many, but estimates range anywhere from 10,000-15,000.
Below are some links to helpful resources for children and young adults. We hope they will be of assistance to you if you are called upon for aid.
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Focus on: Helping Young People Cope with Loss
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The terrorist attacks of September 11 have impacted all in our society, and the issues they raise for children and young people are particularly important ones to understand.
Yet children and adolescents face a myriad of losses, and they do grieve these losses. Many losses, such as divorce or relocation, do not involve death, but can still generate grief reactions. And as children move into adolescence, there are the more subtle but important losses -- loss of identity, loss of roles, loss of self-esteem. Hospice, as the only medical system of care that deals with the emotional, psychological and spiritual aspects of death and dying, has always understood the impact of grief and loss on children and adolescents, and the effects on family systems. The best way to help and prepare children for the future is through education and understanding of the day-to-day ramifications of loss and grief. The resources below are some helpful places to begin:
The Dougy Center, the first center in the US to provide peer support groups for grieving children, offers excellent resources for adults and children.
Many resources in this area are written by adults, with a focus on younger children. Below are projects that focus solely on adolescents and loss, and incorporate the critical perspective of the young person's own voice.
The Open Society Institute's Youth Initiatives Program and the Project on Death in America launched a joint initiative, Teenage Experiences of Death, which engaged youth media projects in exploring the issue of death from the teenage perspective.
Teen Age Grief, Inc. (This link is no longer available.) is a non-profit organization that provides expertise in providing grief support to bereaved teens.
Hospice Foundation of America developed a special issue of our bereavement newsletter Journeys called "For Kids, By Kids"; the four articles are wonderful expressions of how young people responded to devastating loss.
HFA has other resources, including common myths and facts about children and grief and a Frequently Asked Questions section, dealing with issues such as funerals, talking to young people about death, and how schools can help kids cope. HFA's book, "Children, Adolescents, and Loss", covers the subject in more depth, and includes an excellent bibliography of developmentally-appropriate books for children about loss.
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Spread the Word!
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November is National Hospice Month. Please feel free to downlink the following article, "More Americans Use Hospice", for use in your newsletter or to submit to your local paper.
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What's New@ HFA
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In response to surveys from our readers, HFA has added new features and a new look to our monthly bereavement newsletter, Journeys. See more information or order a free sample copy.
Each year, HFA provides more than 21,000 hours of Continuing Education Unit credits to a wide range of professionals through our annual National Bereavement Teleconference. In response to recent changes in the Continuing Education requirements for NY State Funeral Directors, HFA's Senior Consultant Dr. Kenneth Doka will be teaching a workshop, "Grief and the Holidays", in various NY communities in mid-November. 2.5 contact hours are available for NY funeral directors. See more info.
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Site Coordinator's Corner
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Site Coordinator registration for this year's teleconference has begun! If you are a past Site Coordinator, you should have received a Registration Mailing. Registration is also available on-line.
Remember to register soon to take advantage of the Early Registration Discount and so that your organization will get the full benefit of HFA's support materials.
HFA is pleased to announce additional panelists for our 9th annual National Bereavement Teleconference, Living With Grief: Loss in Later Life. Joining the panel will be Chaplain George Blackwell of the Good Neighbor Baptist Church in Newark, NJ; Patricia Kelly, CRNH, clinical director of Montgomery Hospice, Rockville, MD; Miriam Moss, MA, of the Philadelphia Geriatric Center; and JR Williams, MD, president and CEO of the Foundation for End of Life Care.
These panelists will join previously announced panel members Robert Butler, MD; Kenneth Doka, PhD, Mdiv; and Phyllis Rolfe Silverman, MSS, PhD. The program, moderated by Cokie Roberts, will be broadcast live-via-satellite on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 from 1:30pm-4:00pm EDT.
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This newsletter is sent to more than 5,600 subscribers
on the 2nd Wednesday of every month to keep you
informed of what is happening in the fields of
hospice, grief and bereavement, and caregiving, as well
as what's new at HFA. We encourage you to forward this
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This newsletter is published by Hospice Foundation of America
Jack D. Gordon, Chairman
David Abrams, President http://www.hospicefoundation.org
© Hospice Foundation of America 2001
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