Loss, grief and bereavement is something we all come across within our lifetimes, whether it is in a professional or personal capacity. This discussion will focus on sudden death and the devastating effects it can have on the significant others of the deceased. Theoretical concepts about loss, grief and bereavement will be explored, and the impact that paramedics can have using evidenced based holistic care.
“Loss, grief and bereavement are about more than just death and dying” (Nicol, 2017, p.44). All three processes are interlinked together, potentially evoking a highly emotive response whether the death was expected or sudden (Alexander and Klein, 2012). Grief can manifest itself in a number of different ways including physical, psychological and emotional responses to name a few. Costello (2012) and supported by Malkinson (1996) suggests that there is an expectation that there will be various stages of grief such as the five stages of grief model (Kübler-Ross and Kessler, 2005), but the extent to which an individual experiences grief can also affect the individuals’ experience of being
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Parkes also studied how the effect of a traumatic bereavement can influence the persons overall response. An unexpected loss can exhibit a problematic bereavement in some due to the unpreparedness a sudden death can bring. Parkes (2008) found that there were higher levels of distress when a traumatic bereavement had occurred, and were more likely to obtain psychiatric help. Davies (2010) comments on his own experience of bereavement stating it is personal knowledge, compassion, and own experience that creates our judgement that directs end of life care, whether it be for a sudden or expected death. Davies further states that “we have a professional obligation to extend a thoughtful condolence to surviving family members (2010,