Caregiver benchmarks for the announcement of a death

The announcement of a death must be made with professionalism, empathy and respect, because a well-made announcement can prevent complicated mourning or the development of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a delicate moment for the bereaved but also for caregivers. THE National Resource and Resilience Center offers benchmarks.

The National Resource and Resilience Center (CN2R) publishes two documents to support caregivers when announcing a death: a detailed guide and a “memo” summarizing the main principles. “Better announcing a death is one of the factors in the prevention of complicated mourning and post-traumatic stress disorder and this approach can be considered as preventive care provided to the bereaved”, raises the center. If there is no “good manners” to announce bad news, benchmarks allow the announcement to be made with professionalism, empathy and respect. This approach also benefits caregivers, as it allows them to “protect themselves”.

The announcement has three stages: before, during and following. Each ad is difficult and different. It is useful to prepare for this in order to anticipate difficulties. The preparation time supposes gathering the information necessary for the announcement and anticipating the questions that the bereaved will ask according to their particular case. The ad itself assumes a quiet location and availability. It must be carried out face-to-face (unless this is impossible) and gradually, with chronological and factual markers. The center recommends the presence of a pair ” the messenger to announce the death and the sentry who observes the reactions “. It also evokes the attitude to adopt: warm, benevolent and reassuring. Respecting the time of the bereaved is essential. In the rest of the announcement, the pair returns to its impressions. It is important to be “attentive to one’s own emotional state”points out the CN2R, which encourages “not to be alone” in case of difficulties.

• Caregiver, I announce a death, Professional Resources, February 2023, to download from the CN2R website.

• Memo, Caregiver, I announce a death, February 2023, To download