Also Known As:
Bereavement support, grief counseling, loss support services. See also: Bereavement.
Type:
Emotional and bereavement support service
Primary Purpose:
To help patients, family caregivers, and surviving loved ones process the grief that surrounds serious illness and end-of-life.
When It Applies:
Before, during, and after the patient’s passing. Anticipatory grief support begins at admission; bereavement support continues for at least 13 months after death.
Who Is Involved:
Bereavement coordinators, social workers, chaplains, licensed grief counselors, and the family.
Where It Occurs:
By phone, in-person, in support groups, by mail, and online, whatever fits the family’s preference.
Duration:
Throughout hospice and for at least 13 months following the patient’s death.
Coverage:
Fully covered by the Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicaid, and most private insurance.
Key Focus:
Anticipatory grief, complicated grief, grief education, support during the firsts (first holiday, first anniversary), and connection to community resources.
Common Misunderstanding:
Grief support is not just for after the death. Many families benefit from grief counseling while their loved one is still alive, especially when watching a slow decline.
Grief Begins Before the Loss
Anticipatory grief is the term clinicians use for the mourning that begins before someone dies. Families experience it when a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, when cognitive decline takes someone before their body goes, when each visit feels like a slow goodbye.
Lifted’s grief support team works with patients and families through every stage, not just after the death. Social workers, chaplains, and bereavement coordinators help families name what they’re feeling and find healthy ways to live with it.
Forms of Grief Support Lifted Provides
- One-on-one counseling sessions with a trained grief counselor or social worker
- Family meetings to help different members process at different paces
- Support groups for adult children, spouses, and primary caregivers
- Spiritual care from chaplains for those who want a faith-based companion
- Mailed grief education materials timed to the firsts
- Referrals to licensed mental health professionals when grief becomes complicated
- Memorial services and remembrance events
When to Reach Out for Grief Support
There is no wrong time to ask. The Lifted team encourages families to reach out:
- Soon after admission, when the diagnosis is still fresh
- During a stretch of significant decline
- In the days right after the death, when everything feels unreal
- Around anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays
- Any time grief begins to interfere with daily life or relationships
Read more about Lifted’s approach to bereavement care or contact our team for support.