Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Education

Supervisor

Brown, Jason

Abstract

Canada has an increasing and ageing population and because of this it is experiencing an increase in its rate of deaths. Because of this the requirement for hospice and end-of-life support will likely increase. This creates the need for research on best practices regarding supporting individuals in the caregiving role, but also how they personally cope with the challenges they face. The first segment of this study looked at caregivers of individuals with life-limiting illnesses’ experiences of receiving a psychoeducation grief resource package that contained a variety of educational materials that fall into the following categories of support: emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical. The second segment of this study looked at the caregivers’ personal coping skills in the following areas: emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical. According to the results, hospices can help to provide a sense of connection to others and social support for their clientele. Additionally, hospices have exceptional employees and volunteers as well as a remarkable environment. Furthermore, psychoeducation about grief and bereavement can provide supportive information that can help to normalize the feelings and emotions of its users as well as give them effective education that they can implement into their lives. The quality and format of the content of psychoeducation is important and the educational information should be presented in an invitational and open manner. Finally, caregivers and the bereaved engage in holistic personal care and support themselves in these four domains: physical, spiritual, social, and emotional.

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