Portlaoise hospital helps people coping with grief
Zara Dagg (left) End-of-Life Care coordinator pictured with colleagues in Portlaoise during Grief Awareness Week. Photo: HSE
PORTLAOISE hospital hosted a variety of awareness events to mark national Grief Awareness Week.
The campaign aims to encourage understanding of grief and highlights the supports and services available to people, who may benefit from additional help during bereavement.
Both the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRHP) and the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore (MRHT) hosted events during the week, which ran from 27 January until 2 February.
The End of Life Care Committee in Portlaoise hosted an awareness day in the hospital for staff, patients and visitors on 26 January, while a similar event was held in Tullamore on 30 January.
Both hospitals’ End of Life Care coordinator Zara Dagg said: ‘The aim was to raise awareness among staff and the public about grief. We provided information on the supports available to those who are grieving.
‘Understanding grief and learning how to navigate it can be helpful for those directly experiencing loss, but also for those supporting them. National Grief Awareness Week is a compassionate and important observance dedicated to being grief aware.’
The programme advocates that those experiencing grief keep in mind a number of factors that include: Grief is expressed and felt in different ways; There is no right or wrong way to grieve; How we experience grief depends on many factors, including coping style, relationship with the deceased and cultural practices; There are no stages of grief, it ebbs and flows; There is no time limit; grief takes the time it takes; Don’t assume people ‘get used’ to loss - grief in older age is still grief.
Zara observed: ‘There is no set pattern for grief and people experience it in different ways. Common emotional responses include feeling isolated, lonely, shocked, numb, helpless, angry, irritable, relieved, guilty or sad.
‘Physical reactions may include difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and poor concentration. Family members and friends often want to help but may be unsure how. Learning more about grief can support both those who are grieving and those who wish to care for them.’
