title: A memorial service for families of children who died from cancer and blood disorders.
abstract: The grief of staff who work with dying children and the grief of family members after the death of a child has been widely documented. Interventions to facilitate grieving have been extensively developed for parents but less so for siblings and staff. This article describes one approach, a memorial service, for families and staff that has wide applicability for providing support after a death. The memorial service provides families and staff with a healing ritual of remembrance, a source of closure after the death, and a recognition of the relationships established between families and staff. The service particularly legitimizes the staff's grief experience. The organization, implementation, and evaluation of such a program is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer Treatment and Research, Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, SC 29203, USA.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Heiney
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ruffin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001601:Bereavement; D002648:Child; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005655:Funeral Rites / Q000523:psychology*; D006117:Grief; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010934:Planning Techniques