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Evaluation of bereavement anniversary cards
1St Columba's Hospice, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Journal of Palliative Care
|January 1, 1995
Insights
Bereavement anniversary cards offer support to grieving individuals, with no predictors found for inappropriate use. Some recipients perceived the cards as requests for hospice donations.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Grief Studies
- Psychology
Background:
- The anniversary of a death is a challenging period for bereaved individuals.
- Supportive interventions are crucial for those experiencing loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the utility of bereavement anniversary cards.
- To identify predictors for the inappropriateness of such cards.
- To understand recipient perceptions of these cards.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving recipients of bereavement anniversary cards.
- Analysis of feedback regarding card appropriateness and perceived intent.
Main Results:
- Bereavement anniversary cards are generally perceived as supportive.
- No strong predictors were identified to suggest when a card might be inappropriate.
- A minority of recipients misinterpreted the cards as solicitations for hospice funding.
Conclusions:
- Bereavement anniversary cards are a valuable component of follow-up care for the bereaved.
- Further clarification may be needed to avoid misinterpretation of the cards' purpose.
Abstract:
The anniversary of a death is perceived as a difficult time by the majority of closely bereaved relatives and friends. Bereavement anniversary cards are supportive and useful in the context of wider follow-up. This study identified no strong predictors to indicate those for whom such a card would be inappropriate. Several recipients thought that the card solicited financial support for the hospice.