This Week: When Grief is Complicated Event

On Thursday, November 16, Phaneuf Funeral Homes will host a free seminar for professional and family caregivers titled, “When Grief is Complicated.”

Research from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health indicates that up to 20 percent of people who experience grief struggle with more complicated physiological responses. Complications from grief can present in a variety of ways, such as troubling to grasp the concept of death, persistent feelings of shock, disbelief or anger about death, feeling of estrangement from other people, and changes in behavior focused on excessive avoidance of reminders of the loss.

Specific reactions can include complicated grief, PTSD, major depressive disorder, separation anxiety, and substance abuse. Grief symptoms can attenuate naturally over time; however, the intensity of the acute grief period is variable – making the effort to manage these complicated grief reactions even more important.

Since all end-of-life experiences have unique impacts on individuals, including how they experience grief, this educational seminar will shine light on methods and strategies to combat negative reactions. Practices will be highlighted that can be used to provide psychosocial and other support methods to terminally-ill patients, their families, and personal networks as they cope with impending death.

The seminar will address how to manage sources of conflict that often emerge near life’s end, as well as how to help individuals and families find meaning in their loved-one’s passing. CEUs will be available for professional caregivers.

Seminar Details:

• Location: Phaneuf Funeral Home, 243 Hanover Street, Manchester, NH, 03104
• Date: November 16, 2017
• Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon
• Format: Two-hour video presentation followed by a 30-minute panel discussion with industry experts, including:

Mary Francis Drake, MSW, LICSW, Director of Hospice & Palliative Care at Pemi-Baker Community Health; Charles Johnson, Spiritual/Bereavement Coordinator, VNA of Manchester & Southern NH; and Deb Pelletier, MSW, formerly the Bereavement Coordinator for over 20 years at Home Health & Hospice Care and currently overseeing all their bereavement support groups.

• Continental breakfast will be served
• Program provides 2.5 CE credits. CE Certificates will be available online, through Hospice Foundation of America, following the event.

The seminar is free, but pre-registration is required, as seating is limited.