Practical Aftercare Education Needed
In our care for those that are affected by the death of a loved one especially a spouse or partner many in the thanatological after service care focus on the emotional affects of loss. However to due justice and to be of the greatest help to those that grieve many of the Bereavement After Care programs need to include a very strong financial education program for the bereaved. Most After Care Programs that I come in contact with do not address these and similar issues enough if at all.
This is a very difficult and frail time for many who are bereaved. It is difficult for them to even put one foot in front of another much less deal with the financial issues that often affect those newly impacted by death. Often the most practicle issues of daily living after a death are not address routinely as they need to be.
In the past many families would chip in and help not only with the physical assistance of helping clean out closets and pack up belongings to give to those assigned. But it was also the wisdom of experience from numerous deaths that sage helpers could give the newly bereaved within the family.
With families more spread out throughout the country and world even, the chance of this sort of in-depth support is fading fast for many baby-boomers in particular. After the funeral or memorial service there is less and less practical support given for those that grieve.
In the past there were at least three days of mourning where people gathered, strategies were worked out at the funeral home during the visitation to see how everyone could not only support the immediate grievers through the funeral and burial but for the intermediate phase of grief within the first six months of a death. This sort of support occurs less frequently now with busy schedules and people geographically farther apart.
With the increase of popularity of cremation and the potential of postponement of the memorial rituals the chance of practical support for the immediate grievers wanes significantly. Often memorial rituals will be weeks to even months after the death of a person. In the meantime many practical issues must be faced and dealt with. Often the immediate grievers must face these decisions with less knowledge, support and guidance from others when it is most needed.
Often we in bereavement care give workshops on coping with the emotional issues of grief – and we should and MUST do that. But that is only one portion of the pie we also need to be offering. There is a slew of practical support workshops that I don’t see offered very often that need to be given. Thee hands-on rubber hits the road specific topic workshops really need to be offered MONTHLY.
Some of these workshops include:
* Financial impact from death?
* How to deal with estate issues beyond the Last Will & Testament?
* What to do with the deceased loved one’s belongings?
* The virtual side of the deceased – what to do with the internet / cyber life of the deceased?
* What to do with Fido when a pet owner dies?
I say this while also knowing that many Bereavement Aftercare Programs are stretched to the maximum already with few staff to deal with all the pressing issues that approach the caring staff. Too much to do and too little time to do it all in is the daily experience of all Bereavement Aftercare Programs.
This is where the TEAR Center can be a great help. The TEAR Center has a number of courses that are available in a webinar context to help the newly bereaved deal with perplexities of issues after a death of a loved one.
By having webinars that address thee practical issues the TEAR Center frees up the on-site staff to address the emotionally pressing issues that no webinar could ever come close to personally assisting with. This helps the Bereavement aftercare Staff maximize their time and services while also providing topic quality informational services to those in need.
The online webinars are also a great way to help those that are grieving to receive the information they need at times that bet suite their schedules. These webinars can be accessed from the comfort and privacy of their own home when it is best for them. Distance learning is available for in a sensitive and comforting manner without all the additional draining effort of arranging schedules to meet the Bereavement aftercare agency schedule.
For more information on these educational webinars, please contact Dr. Terrie Modesto, chief Thanatologist and Learning Officer at the TEAR Center http://www.tearcenter.com/
An excellent article on this as support is:
Fallout For Bereaved. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 28, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/06/090621143219.htm
Economic Crisis Heightens Financial Fallout For Bereaved
ScienceDaily (June 21, 2009) — One in five people fall below the official poverty line following the death of their partner. "Hence the recent fall in the value of annuities, savings and investments means an even wider group of older people could face financial difficulties when their partner dies, whether these difficulties are short-lived or longer lasting," says researcher Anne Corden of the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York.
People, whose partners had been in paid work, reported the largest income falls, mainly affecting those under pension age. Women with or without children were more at risk of financial decline than men and two in five women pensioners were in poverty immediately after bereavement. While some of these experiences of poverty were short-lived, bereaved women were more likely to experience poverty lasting up to three years after the death. The number of women feeling financially worse off doubled from 24 per cent to 48 per cent. Comparable figures for men were 19 and 30 per cent respectively.
Based on its exploration of a wide range of economic, administrative, emotional, and psychological issues following the death of a partner, the study highlights the need for:
Better awareness of financial issues
Findings highlighted the financial consequences of the failure to make a will and the mistaken belief that 'common law marriage' provides legal rights.
"Many people still put off thinking about their will or their finances until they are older and by then, for some, it is too late," Corden points out.
The study highlights the importance of financial awareness within the general population.
The need to make financial preparations and decisions as a couple during earlier stages of their life together.
Easing adjustment to loss
Grief has economic elements which impact on the grieving process and adjustment to loss. Managing money, and taking on new economic roles was hard for some bereaved people.
The study suggests that raising financial awareness should include planning and preparation for death.
Government, employers and unions have opportunities to provide information at various key points during a person's life.
Reducing administrative and regulatory burdens
Researchers found that the administrative requirements related to financial transitions caused a considerable practical and emotional burden.
Most people had to deal with diverse administrative and regulatory bodies. The volume of work required, delays, errors and problems in communication were widely experienced as an overwhelming burden.
Researchers highlight the need of processes to help people find information they need quicker, staff with skills for dealing with people in grief, and data sharing to reduce documentation required, would increase business efficiency as well as trust and compliance among service users.
Counselling support for 'economic components' of grief
Supporting bereaved people who want to share feelings about their financial situation and new economic roles may ease adjustment to their loss.
Findings suggest that while it is not the role of bereavement counselling services to provide expertise in all the administrative and financial aspects of bereavement, they would benefit from greater awareness of the emotional impact of changed financial circumstances on the bereaved person.
Financial support for the bereaved
Immediate financial demands facing bereaved people included paying for the funeral and housing costs including changes in home ownership and tenancy.
After a death, information and advice about benefits, pensions and tax, as well as support in accessing financial services help people avoid financial hardship.
Researchers suggest that when policymakers review financial support for bereaved people, there should be thorough examination of entitlement, take-up and impact of bereavement benefits and social fund funeral expenses payments, and people's perceptions of these payments.
Researchers conclude that some financial difficulties following death of a partner can be prevented; others can be avoided. Policymaking must address the immediate circumstances of people experiencing bereavement. In the long term, enabling people to sustain paid employment throughout their working lives, occupational and private pensions, will help ensure an acceptable standard of living in retirement and protect people whose partner has died from financial hardship and economic decline.
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