What I can do
Grief can be overwhelming, and people may not always know how to ask for support. You can create a compassionate and open environment by:
- Letting older people and families know they can approach you anytime without pressure to talk about their grief
- Providing clear information about the dying process and what to expect
- Offering presence and compassionate listening.
To help normalise the experience of grief and reduce feelings of isolation you can:
- Recognise that grief is individual and shaped by culture, spirituality, and past experiences.
- Reassure individuals with statements like, ‘It’s normal to feel a loss and to be sad. What would be most helpful to you now?’
- Validate emotions without rushing the grieving process, allowing people to move through their grief at their own pace.
While grief is a normal process, some individuals may struggle to cope and require additional support. You can help by:
- Reporting concerns to the care team if grief remains intense or unchanging for more than six months
- Being mindful of colleagues coping with deaths in their care and offer support through conversation or peer debriefing
- Helping connect a grieving person with appropriate resources, such as counselling services or peer support groups, when needed.
What I can learn
The palliAGED Practice Tip Sheets give helpful guidance on supporting older people with loss, grief, and bereavement near the end of life. There is a version for nurses as well as one for careworkers.
Staff who work closely with older people can also experience grief and loss. For more information, see the Tip Sheet for Grief and Loss among Staff for nurses as well as one for careworkers.
To develop your communication skills for grief conversations:
What to say to family when a resident dies
You can also develop your knowledge by:
What I can give
If an older person, their family or carers wishes to learn more about loss, grief or bereavement, these resources may help:
What I can suggest
A structured approach to grief support ensures consistency in care, provides clear guidance for staff, and helps families and residents prepare for loss. You can:
- Embed a structured approach to grief support, including referral pathways and staff responsibilities
- Develop a grief starter pack to give to older people and families to prepare for loss and bereavement
- Create a list of community support networks or counselling services that older people and families can access.
Providing spaces and staff time to honour those who have died can foster healing and strengthen community bonds. Your team might:
- Implement bereavement rituals such as memorial gatherings, tribute walls, or remembrance events to acknowledge loss and create a sense of continuity.
- Designate quiet areas or reflection gardens where people can privately process grief, including culturally appropriate mourning spaces.
- Encourage storytelling and shared memories through life review sessions or memory books to celebrate lives and preserve legacies.
Grief is part of care. To support staff to continue to provide compassionate care while managing their own emotional well-being:
- Offer debriefing and peer support opportunities
- Acknowledge and validate staff grief responses through formal and informal support and end-of-life care training
- Provide clear guidance on time off and funeral attendance.
A workplace culture that acknowledges grief helps staff manage emotional challenges and maintain professional resilience. You might:
- Offer training on empathetic communication, including cultural sensitivity in grief discussions
- Embed grief and bereavement information and support resources into staff induction programs alongside awareness of the importance of self-care
- Introduce meaningful rituals such as guards of honour or sacred pauses to honour those who have passed and provide moments for team reflection.
Page updated 26 February 2025