Suicide is a messy thing. It is filled with multiple emotions of loss and despair, but what modern science teaches is that is most of the time an illness. Someone does not simply wish to end his or her life with a clear head. It is because of this and many other factors that cloud judgement that many churches have removed the stigma of suicide itself. Suicide while a horrible thing must not be shelved away but discussed in the open and understood a decision based upon mental illness. If so, we as a society can move forward and deal with suicide survivors, as well as family survivors of a successful suicide of a loved one.
The choice of suicide is a result of a mental imbalance that leaves everyone in tears.
The article, “Opinion: Talk about suicide, end the stigma” by Natalie Sept looks closer at suicide and how it can no longer be seen simply as a rational choice but more so as a decision based in intense emotional instability. It is time to stop treating it as a stigma and face it head on and recognize the surrounding demons of it. The article states,
“When I received the news recently of his suicide, there was something in me that knew it would end this way. Jay struggled with addiction. Our family watched nervously as his jovial disposition became clouded with the pall of substance abuse that eventually pulled him into an irreversible decision.”
Extending medical aid that is affordable and even covered is essential to the dignity of any American. It entitles the American the care he or she needs in addressing comfort and peaceful transition in death. Voters this election clearly cared about medical and end of life issues in their support of healthcare friendly candidates.
End of Life Care should not only be available for the wealthy. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program
The article, “The Growing Acceptance of Medical Aid in Dying” by Kim Callinan illustrates this necessity and call for better healthcare to the dying. The article states,
“While expanding and protecting health care was the number-one issue for voters on Nov. 6, what has gone unreported is that elected officials can now safely run on the issue of expanding and protecting end-of-life care options. For decades, lawmakers feared that sponsoring medical aid-in-dying bills that would allow terminally ill adults to have the option to peacefully end their suffering would harm their chances of getting re-elected. This year’s elections proved those concerns false.”
Like the seasons, grief has many faces. Somedays, a person may feel good and warm inside, then on other days, a person may feel sad and cold. Grief is not just a set series of step by step instructions but instead a complicated and ever-changing series of emotions correlated with adaptation to change. Hence one day can be good and another bad. In understanding this dynamic, instead of seeing grief as a step by step process, grief counselors view it as dynamic and altering process with oscillating peaks and valleys from day to day or month to month. Various factors come into play that will affect the severity of these peaks and valleys, from a vivid dream to a birthday of a lost one.
Grief Counselors can help individuals face grief without any time tables or false promises
As grief counselors we need to assure clients and patients that there is no set schedule or time frame to heal from grief. Instead, they need to assure one that it is completely normal and healthy to hurt for quite some time over the loss of a dearly beloved one. This is natural and normal and the more interwoven the lives of two, the more adaptation and pain that will exist. This is the price of love and intimacy. So, what should a grief counselor look for in the healing and adjustment of a patient suffering the loss of a loved one? Instead of counting the magical standard of 6 months, the grief counselor should keep close tabs on the peaks and valleys of emotion that pour out throughout the months. As the months become more distant to the death, there should be less peaks and valleys.
This does not mean there will not be peaks and valleys of emotion, but it means. There could be massive valleys of intense grief associated with certain days or merely just a bad day of adjustment, but there should be less frequency of those types of days. If frequency of changing emotion continues to remain high as time continues on, then one may be facing a more serious abnormal grief reaction.
As the months go by, grief never goes away but it diminishes and the person is able to incorporate the loss into their life narrative. They are able to learn to go to work, go to school, and participate in past activities. The key in grief counseling is not to remove grief, but instead to help the person cope with that grief in a healthy fashion. When we see clients again embracing life, moving forward with projects and learning to live without, then we know they are experiencing a healthy grief reaction. If they show apathy towards life, or show exhibit floods of emotion, then we know there is an imbalance which can be a bad sign in either direction.
Learning to help patients and clients cope with these feelings and also feel normal in their own grief recovery is an important part of grief counseling, while also monitoring any pathological coping that may emerge. The grief counselor is meant to keep the bereaved on the proper path of grief recovery, not give a magic pill to erase grief. If one was able to eliminate the grief process, then they throw away the love they shared with the deceased. The grief is the price of love. It is intrinsically tied to love in a fallen world and it must be permitted to bloom and exist. In some ways, it is the last phase of the gift of love in this world.
Please review our Grief Counseling Program to learn how to become a certified Grief Counselor
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification. The certification is offered through AIHCP’s Academy of Grief Counseling and gives future counselors the training they need to be able to guide the bereaved through the maze of grief, helping them peace in loss. Please review our Grief Counseling Program
Hospice is good for anyone who is terminally dying but the cost can sometimes be an obstacle. In learning who pays for hospice and who is eligible is important. Many never utilize this service for fear of price yet the service is so critical to living one’s life till the end instead of dying in a foreign and sterile place.
Hospice can make one’s final days more peaceful. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology program
The article, “The Costs of Entering Hospice Care” by Maryalene LaPonsie states,
“IN 2016, MORE THAN 1 million Medicare beneficiaries died while receiving hospice care, according to data compiled by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Few people know that hospice is not just for the patient, but for the family,” says Edo Banach, president and CEO of NHPCO, a nonprofit representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals.”
The benefits of hospice are great and to be deterred because of price is something that is unfortunate. It is many ways should be a right to die with care and compassion at the hands of trained hospice caregivers. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program and see if it meets your educational needs.
Great article on how serious the loss of a pet can be. Pets are just not animals but actual family members. Their value to the individual is that of a child to many. This is not something odd or crazy but is in fact quite a normal attachment. Some individuals may have more severe attachment to a pet but no studies show this to be unhealthy or bad. In fact, it is human to love an animal, especially a pet as if one of the family. In many cases, pets to some are better family than people.
Losing a pet is like losing a family member. Please also review our Pet Loss Grief Counseling Program
The article, “Here’s Why People Need to Be Taken Seriously When Grieving the Death of a Pet” by Maryanne Garvey explores this and dismisses the statement, “it was just a pet” to be something more than a minimal loss but a very emotional and serious loss. The article states,
“We can feel very, very intense grief when a beloved pet dies. A pet is a family member. When any beloved family member dies, those who love him or her grieve. One can grieve as much or even more over the death of a pet as that of a human,” Cohen explained.
One thing both sides of the political aisle can agree on in these 2018 midterms is that the American people were definitely concerned about Healthcare. With the victory of many open seats to Democrats, they know have a strong say and shape in the future evolution of that healthcare system.
The article, “Democrats Won a Mandate on Health Care. How Will They Use It?” by Robert Pear explores the situation in Washington and how Democrats in the House will look to determine the future of Healthcare in opposition to the ideals held by President Trump.
The midterm 2018 elections were all about healthcare. Please also review our Healthcare Case Management Program
The article states,
“After House Democrats’ election triumph, Nancy Pelosi’s appraisal was clear: “Health care was on the ballot, and health care won.”
But how do Democrats intend to use the power they won?”
Good article on value based care and how it can help drive preventative care. In fact, patients in a value based care model benefit greatly in preventative care practices. Through various models, education and teaching can help patients understand their own diagnosis and recovery to prevent future issues. This type of model is very beneficial to any organization and it is of no wonder that these value based care models correlate with better preventative care with patients.
Value based care models help! Please also review our Healthcare Case Management Program
The article, “Value-Based Care Drives Preventive Care, Care Management” by Sarah Heath explores this reality and delves into greater detail how value based care models are very beneficial for patients. The article states,
Patients receiving care from a doctor in a value-based care model tend to experience better quality care, receive more preventive care, and yield higher medication adherence and adherence to chronic disease management plans, according to a new report from Humana.
A certified Case Manager also is well versed in these areas of study and makes an excellent candidate to help implement various value based care models. Pleas also review our Healthcare Case Management Program to see if it matches any of your academic or professional needs. By taking the core courses in Case Management, qualified professionals can earn a certification in Case Management with AIHCP and apply the skills to their profession.
Holiday stress can be a real thing. Christmas lists, dinner preparations, family from out of town, decorating, and all the excitement. While the holidays are fun they definitely are stressful. This article looks at how to lessen that stress.
Holiday stress can affect even the most happy person. Please also review our Stress Management Training Program
The article, “10 Simple but Crucial Ways to Deal With Holiday Travel Stress” by Korin Miller states,
“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest—and as a result, most stressful—travel times of the year. With everyone around you trying to get to their holiday destinations, that means some serious crowds, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and delays that zero people are psyched about.”
In the meantime, try to enjoy the Holidays. Find peace in family and spirituality to counter the secular hurry. Please also review our Stress Management Consulting Training program and see if it matches your academic and professional needs
Death is the ultimate mystery. it captures every essence of humanity. It is spiritual and physical, as well as mental. In this, society has attempted to understand the true nature of death and how to face it. Through this, multiple rituals have developed over the centuries to help the individual, as well as the family, to face death. In this, we can come to a true understanding why we as a society need death rituals.
End of life rituals are important to society. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program
The article, “Why we need end-of-life ritual” looks into this important aspect of Pastoral Care of the dying and why it is needed in society.
The article states, “Rituals help people to mark and make sense of the big life changes that we all go through, such as births, marriages and deaths. Rituals work when the people involved understand what is going on. For example, for a non-religious parent, it may make sense to have a secular baby-naming ceremony, rather than a religious christening or baptism to welcome their baby to the community.”
Great article about a doctor and his sister. Learning from grief that was her own, he was able to utilize that emotion as empathy for others. Pastoral Thanatology, Grief Counseling and other care giving modalities are all founded on empathy and the ability to utilize it. Please also review also review our program and see if it matches your professional needs.
Doctors can also treat the soul than just the dying body. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program
The article, “Grief as My Guide: How My Sister Made Me a Better Doctor” by Joseph Stern states.
“As I left the room, Meghan thanked me and said this was the first doctor’s appointment she had had in a long time where she didn’t cry. I never used to cry when speaking with patients. I would gird myself, push forward, distract myself with new and pressing problems to fix; I focused on technical, rather than human, matters. Now, I told Meghan that I would cry for us both. My sister was present in that room, in the patient sitting before me and in the way I was newly able to comfort and reassure her.”
This article shows that sometimes the best way to under empathy is to experience it literally yourself. Doctors can be caring and involved. They can learn better patient skills through various Pastoral Thanatology Programs, as well as Grief Counseling Programs. Please review AIHCP’s programs in both Grief Counseling and Pastoral Thanatology
