Analysis of Support Systems for Bereavement and Dementia in Healthcare

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Supporting Individuals
Experiencing Significant Life
Events

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Introduction
Significant Life Events can be defined as a major event
of an individual's life that can be either positive or
negative. It brings about a marked change in the way
they live their life. In the given assignment the
significant life events being considered are
Bereavement and Dementia.
Bereavement : the suffering experienced by a person
due to the loss of someone close to them (Wimpenny
and Costello, 2013)
Dementia: a medical condition that affects the
functioning of the brain and the patient gradually lose
all the brain functioning (Giebel et al., 2015)

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2.1: Evaluate The Effectiveness Of
Organisation Policies And Procedures Of And
Solutions In Supporting Dementia Sufferers
And Bereaved Individuals
A number of different policies
and procedures are in place to
support Bereaved individuals
and Dementia sufferers due to
their specialised support needs
that includes their day to day
care and treatment.

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Caring For Dementia
Sufferers and Bereaved
Individuals
Identifying the medical issues
Understanding the cause
Providing Medical Treatment and
Counselling Services
Supporting them Physical, mentally,
and Emotionally
Supporting their Social Networks

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Policies and Procedures to Support Dementia
Sufferers
Dementia
 A major health problem in the UK.
 Total Patients – over 850000
 Cost to Economy- £26 Billion including £11.6 billion in unpaid
care.
 Medical care and support services covered under legislative and
policies covering major diseases
Internal Sources providing Dementia Care
 NHS and Social Care Services
External Sources Providing Dementia Care
 Alzheimer’s Scotland
 Alzheimer’s Research UK
 Dementia UK

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Available Support (Government)
National Health Services (NHS)
 Expenditure - £4.5 billion annually
 Support services
 Provides full support for long-term hospital stays
 Provides partial financial support for nursing
home care
Social Care Services
 Expenditure - 10.3 billion annually
 Support services
 Assessment and care management costs
 Partial residential care costs
 Provides professional care workers

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Policies and Procedures to Support Bereaved
Individuals
Policies to provide bereavement care
 Standard for Bereavement Care (2001)
 Standards for bereavement care (2012)
 Shaping Bereavement Care (2010)
Services provided by National Health Services
(NHS)
 Offers counselling services
 Specialised services for children
Charities providing Bereavement Care
 For Children - Child Bereavement UK, Hope Again,
and Winston’s Wish.
 For Adults - Cruse Bereavement Care, The
Bereavement Partner Support

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2.2 Explain How Others In Social Networks
May Provide Support To Bereaved Individuals
A bereaved person can receive support from their social
networks and healthcare professionals (Aoun et al., 2012).
Support provided by Social Networks (Friends,
Family, and associates)
 Prevents further mental damage and breakdown.
 Provide physical, mental, and emotional support.
 Helps them in overcoming this phase
Support Provided by Professionals
 Provides physical and Psychological support
 Helps them acknowledge and accept the loss
 Provide assess and treatment of mental, emotional, and
physical condition

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2.3 Evaluate The Suitability Of
External Sources Of Support Available
For Bereaved Individuals And Those
With Dementia External Sources of Support are the charity
organisations dedicated to support people
experiencing significant life events like Cruse
Bereavement Care, Dementia UK, etc.
 They are suitable since they
 provide expert and dedicated resources
 provide critical support
 fill the gap left by the internal sources like NHS
 provide a single platform for care, support, and
medical services
 create disease awareness

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Conclusion
The task evaluates the effectiveness of available framework of
support and treatment for bereaved individuals and dementia
sufferers. Its concluded that the existing framework for Dementia
patients is lacking due to limited availability of support option
while the required care and treatment is specialised due to
nature of the disease. The framework for Bereaved individuals is
sufficient with necessary policies and procedures in place. The
assignments also addresses the ways in which the others like
friends, family, associates, and health care professionals can
support the people suffering from bereavement and dementia.
Lastly, the suitability of external sources for supporting and
caring for bereaved individuals and dementia sufferers and its
found suitable and effective to fill the void left by internal sources
and catering to the specialised needs with dedication and focus.

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