Funding boost for study to improve grief and bereavement support
Losing a loved one is one of life’s most difficult experiences. For bereaved individuals, intense or persistent grief can have long term and debilitating impacts on health and wellbeing.
Efforts to provide specialised support for grieving community members have now received a boost, with the announcement of funding for a local research project on bereavement care.
Principal Psychologist, Dr Laura Kirsten
The research team, from Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD) and the School of Psychology at the University of Sydney, have been awarded $400,000 from the NSW Health End of Life and Palliative Care Research Grant Program.
Dr Laura Kirsten, Principal Psychologist for NBMLHD, says the team have developed an evidence-based bereavement care model that aims to enhance the specialised grief care on offer and improve the identification of people requiring such support after the death of someone who received palliative care in the NBMLHD.
“Our goal is to ensure that bereaved individuals receive the right support at the right time,” says Laura.
“Grief is a natural response, however, for some, additional support is needed. We know that unresolved grief can potentially lead to complications such as depression or anxiety, relationship difficulties, poorer physical health or difficulties with substance use.”
Dr Laura Kirsten, Principal Psychologist
Embarking on the study alongside NBMLHD colleagues Dr Alan Oloffs, Linda Ora and Pia Lambert from the District’s Supportive and Palliative Care service, Laura says, “We want to improve people’s wellbeing, and while that’s our primary goal we also understand that if successful, our bereavement care model may help support existing staff and also reduce impacts on the health system.”
The project will run for two years and during that time, palliative care staff and volunteers will embed the bereavement care model into everyday practice and test how effectively it works in real-world settings.
“The funding we’ve received means we now have the opportunity to test the feasibility of our model, providing training, creating clear referral pathways and supporting staff throughout the process,” Laura says.
“We hope the findings from our study will support other health services to adopt similar approaches and inform future policies on bereavement care in NSW.”