Caregiver Stress and Staff Support in Illness, Dying and Bereavement

Edited by Irene Renzenbrink

A unique collection of international perspectives from leaders and experts in the field on a highly relevant topic in palliative care
The only book to discuss management of caregiver stress and staff support from social, political and cultural perspectives
Provides an extensive analysis of the challenge of finding a balance between the support needs of patients, families, and staff and the resources available

Caregiver Stress and Staff Support in Illness, Dying and Bereavement

Edited by Irene Renzenbrink

Description

The need for renewal and support for those who care for seriously ill, dying, and bereaved people has been acknowledged from the very beginning of the hospice and palliative care movement. While often referring to the rewards and satisfactions of the work, Dame Cicely Saunders was the -first to acknowledge that helping encounters with dying patients and distressed relatives could be a source of anguish and grief for dedicated and compassionate carers.

Caregiver Stress and Staff Support in Illness, Dying, and Bereavement discusses the challenge of finding a balance between the support needs of patients, families, and staff and the resources available. With contributions from practitioners and researchers from around the world, this book recognizes that palliative care today is being provided in many different settings and that there may be wide variations in the way individuals and organizations identify and manage the stressors that arise through the work. This unique collection of international perspectives on the complexities and management of caregiver stress and staff support builds on the firm foundation Mary Vachon built over thirty years ago in her studies, yet broadens the scope to include significant social, political, and cultural variations on the theme.

Caregiver Stress and Staff Support in Illness, Dying and Bereavement

Edited by Irene Renzenbrink

Foreword, Dr Sandra Bertman
Introduction, Irene Renzenbrink
1:Four decades of selected research in hospice/palliative care: have the stressors changed?, Mary L.S. Vachon
2:Workplace well-being: a psychosocial perspective, Neil Thompson
3:Compassion in healthcare - the missing dimension of healthcare reform?, Robin Youngson
4:Revisiting empathic engagement: countering compassion fatigue with 'Exquisite Empathy', Radhule Weininger and Michael Kearney
5:Working and living with cancer, death, and dying: a personal reflection, Yvonne Yi Wood Mak
6:Jumping the fence: the impact of a life-threatening illness in the workplace, Ann Saville and Rosemary Feeley
7:The challenge of staff support in hospice care in Zimbabwe, Val Maasdorp
8:Prevention of burnout and compassion fatigue through education and training: the project ENABLE, Amy Yin Man Chow
9:Staff support: a shared responsibility at Victoria Hospice Society, British Columbia, Canada, Wendy Wainwright and Susan Breiddal
10:Leadership and staff care, self-care and self-awareness: reflections from St Christopher's Hospice, London, Andrea Dechamps
11:Seeing beyond the sadness: Hope, resilience sustainable practice in childhood bereavement, Danny Nugus
12:Compassion: the essence of end-of-life care, Philip Larkin
13:Clinical supervision and reflective practice in palliative care: luxury or necessity?, Pam Firth
14:When answers elude us: spiritual care as a tool for healing, Rena Arshinoff
15:Reflections on caring: a brief essay on presence, Ted Bowman

Caregiver Stress and Staff Support in Illness, Dying and Bereavement

Edited by Irene Renzenbrink

Author Information

Edited by Irene Renzenbrink, Social Worker and Educator, Australia and Canada

Irene Renzenbrink is an Australian social worker and pioneer in the field of death, dying and bereavement. Having worked in hospitals and hospice/palliative care services as well as the funeral industry she has acquired a depth of practice wisdom and knowledge about all aspects of occupational stress for helping professionals.

Contributors:

Rena Arshinoff, Rabbi and Chaplain, University Health Network, Toronto Western Hospital Division, Ontario, Canada
Sandra Bertman, Distinguished Professor, Thanatology and Arts, Mt. Ida College, Newton, Massachusetts, USA
Ted Bowman, Family and Grief Educator, Consultant and Author, St Paul, Minnesota, USA
Susan Breiddal, Counsellor, Palliative Response Team, Victoria Hospice Society, Victoria, BC, Canada
Amy Yin Man Chow, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong
Andrea Dechamps, Director of Social Work, Bereavement and Welfare, St.Christopher's Hospice, Sydenham, London, UK
Rosemary Feeley, Social Worker & Case Manager, Anglicare, Victoria, Australia
Pam Firth, Deputy Director, Isabel Hospice, Hertfordshire, UK
Michael Kearney, Palliative Medicine and Hospice Physician, Santa Barbara, California, USA
William Lamers, Psychiatrist and Hospice Physician, The Lamers Medical Group, California, USA
Philip Larkin, Professor of Clinical Nursing (Palliative Care), University College, Dublin, and Our Lady's Hospice and Care Services, Harold's Cross, Dublin, Ireland
Val Maasdorp, Clinical Director, Island Hospice, Harare, Zimbabwe
Yvonne Yi Wood Mak, Medical Officer, Bradbury Hospice, Palliative Care/Oncology Unit, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong
Danny Nugus, Service Development and Training Manager, Winston's Wish, Gloucestershire, UK
Irene Renzenbrink, Social Worker and Educator, Australia and Canada
Ann Saville, Social Worker, Victoria, Australia
Neil Thompson, Director, Avenue Consulting, Wrexham, Wales, UK
Mary Vachon, Psychotherapist and Consultant in Private Practice; Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Wendy Wainwright, Manager, Psychosocial Counselling Team, Victoria Hospice Society, Victoria, BC, Canada
Radhule Weininger, Clinical Psychologist, Santa Barbara, California, USA
Robin Youngson, Anaesthetic Specialist, Waitemata Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand

Caregiver Stress and Staff Support in Illness, Dying and Bereavement

Edited by Irene Renzenbrink

Reviews and Awards

"The spectrum of ideas on offer in this book is challenging, but if your team needs to discuss it more, then this book would be a good starting point."