MSc Healthcare Leadership: Ways to Support Grieving Carers

This report, prepared for an MSc in Healthcare Leadership, investigates strategies for guiding and supporting carers experiencing grief. The report begins with an overview of grief, its impact, and the challenges faced by carers, including problem statements and research questions. A comprehensive literature review explores the concept of grief, common losses experienced by carers, and the psychological and physical responses to loss. The methodology section outlines the research approach, including the research philosophy, approach, choice, strategy, data collection methods, and sampling techniques. The results section presents the findings, followed by a discussion of the implications. The conclusion summarizes key insights and recommendations. The report aims to provide valuable insights into supporting grieving carers, offering practical guidance for healthcare professionals and others involved in providing care.

MSc in Healthcare Leadership
(TO ANALYSE THE WAYS TO GUIDE AND SUPPORT
CARER WHO IS GRIEVING)
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Contents
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Overview of the topic..................................................................................................................4
Problem statement.......................................................................................................................4
Research questions.......................................................................................................................4
Research aim and Objectives.......................................................................................................5
Rationale of the research.............................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................6
To determine the common losses experience by carers who are in grief....................................8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY..................................................................................................12
Research philosophy..................................................................................................................12
Research Approach....................................................................................................................13
Research Choice........................................................................................................................13
Research Strategy......................................................................................................................14
Data collection methods............................................................................................................14
Sampling....................................................................................................................................15
RESULTS......................................................................................................................................17
Discussion......................................................................................................................................32
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................34
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................36
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ABSTRACT
The present investigation is related to support and guide the carer of an individual who
suffering from grief. The aim of this report is to analyse the ways to guide and support carer who
is grieving. When some person is care regarding grief after loss, this can be complex to know
what to do or say. They feel isolated and alone in grief since intense pain emotions, profound
sadness, anger and guilt. Grief is considered as predictable and the one – dimensional to death of
loved one. They generally able to identify signs in the others and can develop appropriate
response needed to assist someone by grieving process. In doing the literature review, there has
been the secondary sources used for an instance books, articles, journals, scholars and others. In
doing the methodology, there has been research onion used by consisting the various layers. In
this, quantitative research method has been used as it is effective in providing the facts and
figures related to the particular subject area. Deductive research approach has been used because
it is related to the quantitative research method and provide the detailed analysis regarding
specific field. For collection of the information, primary method has been used. In this,
questionnaire was developed because it provides the information within less period of time from
more number of respondents. There have been 20 respondents chosen by using the random
sampling method. The main reason to use this method is that it provides the equal chance to
chosen respondents without any biasness.
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INTRODUCTION
Overview of the topic
Grief is poignant and deep distress caused by or as if by bereavement. It is a set of
emotional, social difficulties and cognitive that follow the death of a loved one. In addition, grief
is a series of intense psychological and physical responses that happens following loss. It is a
necessary, natural adaptive and normal response to a loss (Boelen and et. al., 2020). In simple
word, grief is the response to loss, specifically to the loss of something or someone that has died,
to which an affection or bond was formed. Although conventionally emphasised on the
emotional response to loss, it also has social, behavioural, cultural, physical, cognitive,
philosophical and spiritual dimensions. Grief has negative impact on people and their personal as
well as professional life. This will also increase the issue of metal and physical health that is not
good for an individual and its personal as well as professional development. Therefore, it is
important to remove grief in people who have faced or experienced. In order to support person
who in grief, there are different ways including allow to cry and grieve, support in developing
memories and felling, motivate for sound sleep and healthy diet etc. All these are main ways that
will be essential and effective in overcoming the issue of Grief.
Problem statement
One of the main problem is Grief that negatively impact on a person in its personal and
professional career. Grief maximise the inflammation that can worsen heath issues an individual
already have as well as reasons new ones. It batters the resistant system, leaving person depleted
as well as open to contagion. The heartbreak of grief can maximise blood pressure (BP) as well
as the risk of blood clots (Jones and et. al., 2019). Grief can directly impact on individual life
within different manners. The one loss in life further leads to consecutive number of failures
resultant into ripple effect over physical, mental, social and emotional wellbeing.
Research questions
The research questions refer to the question that an investigation set out to be answer. The
research will need the collection of data as well as analysis. Developing research question is first
step and most necessary in an investigation.
 What is the basic concept of grief?
 Explain about certain common losses which are experienced by carer who are in grief?
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 Enlist certain ways that work toward supporting and guiding the carer who is grieving
due to some loss?
Research aim and Objectives
Research aim:
The research aim is mainly expresses an inspiration of research study. This summarise in
single sentence what need to be attain at end of investigation project.
Main aim of this dissertation is "To analyse the ways to guide and support carer who is
grieving."
Research Objectives:
 To understand the concept of grief.
 To determine the common losses experience by carers who are in grief.
 To assess the ways to support and guide the carer who is grieving due to some loss.
Rationale of the research
Main rationale behind selection of current topic or research is to determining the issues of
Grief for an individual on its career growth and success. This is one of the main reason behind
conducting of present dissertation in systematic and successful manner. Current investigation is
important for an individual, society, families, health care etc. This dissertation or topic helps
them by increasing their knowledge or understanding about the impact of Grief. At personal
level, this investigation support researcher by improving their presentation, data collection, data
analysis and time management skills. All these skills help them in completion of full dissertation
in successful and systematic manner (Lavorgna and Hutton, 2019).
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review introduces to the systematic process of gathering secondary data regarding
the particular area of study or subject. There are different sources of collecting secondary
information which are peer revived articles, books, articles, magazines and many more. These
are more essential and useful sources of gathering secondary information regarding the topics.
Main purpose of literature review is to exploring the research gap in current study or topic.
According to the exiting topic, main gap is the ways to guide and support carer who is grieving
(Olafson and et. al., 2018). In previous studies, there are lots of data available regarding the
common losses experience by carers who are in grief, but there were lack of data regarding the
ways to support and guide the carer who is grieving due to some loss. This is one of the main gap
and for fluffing this gap, research questions will be used. This will also help investigator in
accomplishment of dissertation aim and objectives as well as overcoming of research gap.
Research questions will be explained as below:
Concept of grief
On the basis of Julianne R. Oates; Patricia A. Maani-Fogelman (2020) Normal process
about reacting to loss. It is response to the loss that specifically to loss of someone that has been
died. Grief related with the death is more familiar to many of people but they grieve in
connection with variety of the losses throughout lives for an instance ill health, unemployment
and end of relationship. Physical loss that is being related to something that a person can
measure or touch for an instance losing spouse by death. The loss and grief is something that all
the people will be experience in lifetime. Loss many be perceived or actual and absence of the
something that was more values. The actual loss is mainly recognised as well as verified through
others while the others cannot able to verify the perceived loss. The expert advice those mainly
grieving to be realise they cannot able to control process and prepare to different stages related to
grief.
When a person undergoes in a grief or when they lose someone close, loss of fertility, loss of
functional organ, well it is natural to grieve. An individual perhaps experience jumbled feelings
in this case. This is a time taking process in which a person able to do affirmative or negative
things in their life. It involves several different emotions, behaviours. A person may become
pessimistic in nature, short-tempered, disorientated as well. As per human psychologist, grief is
term when a person response emotionally to the experience of loss. They vary person to person.
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Common reactions of grief conclude harsh and oppressive feelings, thoughts, physical sensations
and tons of mood disorder.
Feelings - An individual perhaps feel like people or world in which they involve meaningless or
overwhelming, and their life make no sense. Person who have experienced loss may feel
depression, sadness, anxiety, abandoned, helpless, anger, loneliness, guilt and so on. They feel
inner pain which may change their real personality to someone who does not belong them as
well. A person perhaps gets emotional after hearing a song or statement that make them to think
about the person who died or the context regarding to their pain. Numbness or shock is a main
root which can effect mental health of an individual. It becomes hard for an individual to cope
with pain in starting stage of healing, since it is a dark side of grief where a person should accept
the reality and to learn the lesson to make their life independently.
Thoughts- After a great loss, a person becomes complicated and their thought process do not
have any limitations. Either they get confused or pessimistic or they become an over-thinker.
According to psychology, a human's brain can think, create that has no restrain. Common
thought process may conclude factors which disbelief, difficulty in concentration, assumptions,
anxiety, hallucinations etc.
Physical sensations- According to studies, healthy mind debits healthy and fit body. Grief can
cause physical disabilities as well. An individual may experience many factors in regards of
physical, they are dizziness, nausea, heaviness in head, chest or throat, digestion issues, muscle
weakness, tension, stress, redness of retina, physical numbness and fatigue. In take stress can
lead to serious mental illness such as stroke, brain-damaged, clots in head, hypertension and so
on.
Behaviour- An individual may feel episode of moods in starting stage of grief. People who
really get effected by the loss lead to depression. They also create a virtual world and may start
to belief in reality. In some cases, they also think that they are responsible for their loss. These
are basic stage of depression where person loses ability to think, create and develop. These kind
of mixed and complicated feelings may increase suicidal tendencies. In this case one should
always be with someone and get involved with daily activities and they should learn about
mental illness. By prescribed medication and meditation one can be cure by this disease. Other
common behaviours can be restlessness and excessive activities in daily routine.
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To determine the common losses experience by carers who are in grief.
On the basis of Laura (2020) Grief and loss are main major period of time where all people
experience it, once in a life. Feeling of loss may associated with loss of a job, function, limb, pet,
self-control, and loss of loved ones. Here, our carers role begin who work without any second
intention. Person may feel many factors which effect mentally and physically, some factors are
given below.
Numbness- Absence of precious thing is recognized with a term loss. The first stage of
loss is numbness or shock. A person perhaps reacts shockingly at the very first then these feeling
of numbness convert into ample of disbelief, insecurities and number of second thoughts. A
person who is carer gets involved with someone with mental string attached, Grief is a main root
of loss and all emotional feelings directly proportional to loss. A person also experiences as a
new personality and go through emotional buffer perhaps become antisocial.
Pessimistic- It is a stage when mind start to survive in its way. People experience a lot
factors in this stage whether affirmative or negative, depends on the suffer and type of
environment where a person spending time. An individual perhaps feel like people or world in
which they involve meaningless or overwhelming, and their life make no sense. They may also
feel numbness at a while. In an optimistic view, loss and grief help a person cope with loss and
conduct a new way of living. It is a dark beauty of loss, its lesson of life that makes one to handle
their life by their own and a person is able to accept their loss in reality so they can move
forward to healing stage.
Short-tempered- An individual may experience ample of mood swings for duration of
time. An individual who is going through the situation may feel they are being ignored by
everyone or may feel there is no connection between world or to anything. It is a part of healing
process. Experiencing anger allows a one to speak and express about their situation and thoughts
which they are going through. It may be directed on anything or person, the doctors, friends,
family, etc. Under the anger it’s a feeling of someone who is in pain and it’s their way to express
feeling of loss. Anger may give structure to emotions fairly better than numbness. Feeling,
expressing, addressing of anger is a part of healing process, where a person starts to adjust and
gets used to the factor of loss.
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Perhaps getting short-tempered may get challenging for someone to deal with. Sometimes
it’s easier for one to try and suppress the feeling of anger. However, every person is different in
their upbringing and different personality and they experience it differently.
Disoriented- In this stage an individual may experience doubts in every context of daily
routine. One can think of If this.... then this.... which is never ending thought process. For
example, if person is dealing with a loss and get interacted by people and then an individual will
start thinking about positive and negative impact which lead to overthink. According to the view,
an over- thinker mind has no limit, the judgement of pros-cons may lead to many serious mental
illnesses. Disorientation perhaps come in a sentence where “if” act as suffix in each thought
whether thought is affirmative or negative. Guilt plays as a frame of thinking, where there is a
doubt there will guilt factor which gives accompany to it. According to studies, there is no one
straight or linear path in healing process, the one who suffer may go to any path but as a carer
one should always have patience and should listen. One should must provide empathy, mental
support, be a good companion and make them learn that this a basic thought process if they have
doubt about any context.
Depression- is a mental disease which can lead to serious causes. Mainly it is refereed as
mood disorder. According to view, the estimates that 8.1 percent of American adults ages over
20 and over. There are ample of reason one can feel depressed. Since, every living being
different in their own way and every person feel depressed in different way. Although, its fairly
common at several age to observe like this. It also interferes with daily lifestyle and activities,
and the result of this infatuation can effect a person's chronic health condition, lower
productivity, lots of time and goal as well. It may also influence relationships with loved ones
too. It is due to person feel the situation in which they are going through is real. It is significant
reaction to a great loss. An individual may experience intense sadness, aimless and this may
increase suicidal intensities in a thought process. In this case, as carer should male sure about an
individual must talk to someone and express their bundle of negative thoughts in front of anyone
who can suggest a right pathway to them. Even an individual can talk with stranger too may be
that can help. Sometimes it is hard to convey our thoughts to familiar ones. It is a necessary step
involve in the process of healing.
Based on life experience, whenever there Is a loss, an individual health can be effected
physically and mentally. Stress is the main factor which directly goes to someone neurons and
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get settled for long duration of life expand. Major health issues one can suffer are asthma,
cardiac vascular disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and neurological disease and so on.
Due to these serious issues, one can get brain haemorrhage, insomnia, bi-polar disease or
paralysis as well. In these cases, one can lose their job, aim and their reason of living. Carer
should know the basic signs of these chronic disease and they should make learn to an individual
that this is not the end, there is a lot thing which are much awaited.
Certain ways that work toward supporting and guiding the carer who is grieving due to some loss
According to viewpoint of Lisa Rabasca Roepe (2020), When someone care regarding is
grieving after loss, this can be complex to know what to do and say. Beverage struggle with
several painful and intensive emotions consisting anger, depression, profound sadness and the
anger. They feel isolated as well as alone in grief, since intense pain and also complex emotions
can make the people more uncomfortable regarding offering support. An individual many be
afraid of being intruding, saying wrong thing or making loved one feel worse at complex time.
They began feeling lonely as face the complex emotions and intense pain that many feel people
uncomfortable related to offering support. To guide carer deal with situation, one should be
listen, acknowledge situation and also concern that having to an individual about current
feelings. There should be focus towards giving assistance as well as support through helping
them in daily basis activities and make them consider in the outer world in order to overcome
from the grieving situation. There are different strategies and ways mention below which could
be adopted to guide and support carer who are grieving because some loss that examined:
Help in developing positive memories and feeling- It needs to be adopted to be support
and also console carer who grieving comprises helping them with making positive support
gesture and leading the better feelings by sharing past memories and better time to bring them to
the normal. In regards to this, act of support and guidance for the grieved individual comprises
regarding the fun memories in order to bring them towards normal course of the life.
Motivate for the sound sleep and healthy diet- It is an effective way to guide as well as
support the career who grieving because of some loss comprises regarding motivating them to
take the healthy diet and sleep that is necessary and required to having the mental peace. This is
helpful in overcome from the health loss. This has been examined that leading the healthy meal
with proper rest as well as sleep are necessary way that aids a grieving person because to some
loss to have normal life and also deal with grief through leading mental peace and better health.
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Join support group- The grief can be feel lonely when the loved ones around. Sharing the
sorrow with the other person who have the better experience same losses that can aids. To search
bereavement support group in area, contact to the funeral groups, counselling centres, local
hospitals and the hospices.
Stay Connected and Talk to friends and family – The main way to support carer to
grieving to some loss is mainly comprises to stay connected with them on regular basis.
Connected with the friends and family to be overcome from loss and also feeling grief. There is a
need to give the proper guidance and support from professional nursing and also the carer
support groups that encourages and motivate person to live the normal life through overcome
from grief.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology can be describing process which assist investigator to collect and
determine information for different sources. It is essential for the researcher to successfully and
effectively conduct research process by considering different elements of the research
methodology. This is helpful for researcher in order to gather accurate data and information that
is helpful for successfully conducting research practices. Research methodology is useful for
explaining the philosophical aspects of the research in order to select methods and approaches to
effectively conducting researcher practices (Baker and et. al, 2016). This is effective for
providing guidance and direction to the researcher in order to successfully and effectively
conducting research practices. Through this proper structure can be developed which will assist
in carry out different research task and activities in significant and successful manner. Research
onion can be describing as the framework which includes various stages that will assist in
explaining different aspects of the research. This consist of different layer of onion which
provided detailed explanation of the research in order to successfully conduct research activities.
Research methodology in mention below in detail -
Research philosophy
This can be describing as the belief according to which different activities of the research
will be conducted. Research philosophy is referring as the impression or belief on the according
to which data will be collected as well as analysed in significant manner. Research philosophy
can be classified into two parts interpretivism and positivism philosophy.
Interpretivism philosophy - Interpretivist research philosophy is refer as the principles that
states researcher performs a specific role in context of observing the social world. This approach
is related to the social research that consist of qualitative methods that consist of unstructured
interview.
Positivism philosophy – This type of research philosophy is based on the idea of scientific
knowledge which is acceptable (Bertman, 2018). The positivism philosophy can be characterised
with the support of testing hypothesis which is derived through the support of researcher in
collecting appropriate data and information.
Justification: In conducting the present investigation, there has been positivism research
philosophy used. The reason to use this research philosophy is that it is based on the
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