Program Evaluation of Bereavement Services within a Community Hospice

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, bereavement and grief have become two widely used terms in modern day society. The terms are often used interchangeably to describe a feeling of deep sorrow felt after the loss of a loved one. Often it can be difficult for individuals to cope with the loss of a loved one, and it is estimated that 20% of bereaved individuals will experience complicated grief (NAMI, 2021). Complicated grief, often referred to as a prolonged grief disorder, can be defined in several ways. Today, the most widely accepted definition of complicated grief is grief that persists for longer than one year and significantly interrupts an individuals’ ability to complete daily functions (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
Each year, there are roughly 2.6 million deaths in the US alone, leaving behind approximately 13 million individuals (about twice the population of Arizona) to grieve (U.S. Census, 2021). A study conducted in 2019, surveyed 1,084 US adults and found that 32% had experienced grief following the death of a loved one in the past three years (The Grief Experience, 2019). Furthermore, of U.S. adults over the age of 65, 71% reported experiencing bereavement in the previous 30 months (Williams & Sawyer, 2017).