Grief Resources
Caregiver’s Guide: This brochure describes how to help someone during the stressful time of grieving for a loved one.
Hard Choices for Loving People: This booklet is written to provide guidance to patients and their families who must face the “hard choices” as they receive and participate in healthcare. The “hard choices” are found in four questions that require treatment decisions: 1) Should resuscitation be attempted? 2) Should artificial nutrition and hydration be utilized? 3) Should a nursing home resident or someone ill at home be hospitalized? and 4) Is it time to shift the treatment goal from cure to comfort care only?
Handbook for Mortals (online version): This online edition includes the full text of the Handbook for Mortals by Joanne Lynn, M.D. and Joan Harrold, M.D., an authoritative consumer guide to end-of-life care.
Anticipatory Grief: Anticipatory grief refers to the grief experienced when a death is expected. It usually begins with the news of a terminal diagnosis and involves the acknowledgment that the death of a loved one is approaching. This can be extremely painful and difficult to endure. This type of grief is distinct because it is experienced while your loved one is still living. This article describes what to expect and how to address anticipatory grief.
National Alliance of Grieving Children (NAGC) GriefTalk Resources: Resources for talking with children and teens about grief.
Open to Hope: Helping people find hope after loss.
Calm App, Headspace app, relax melodies app, brain.fm: Music for the brain.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress and crisis resources for you or your loved ones at 1-800-273-8255.
Mental Health Crisis Text Line: Free 24/7 crisis support at 1-800-704-2651 or by texting HOME to 741741.
Planning Ahead
Five Wishes: Five Wishes is a document that combines a living will, which is one form of advance directive, with a document that authorizes a specific type of power of attorney or health care proxy in which someone is appointed to make decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated. It is often encouraged that people complete the Five Wishes document to provide the most comprehensive guidance regarding their care. A sample document can be found here and you can visit the online tutorial here.
Tennessee Advance Directives: The State of Tennessee offers numerous helpful advance directive forms which are legal documents allowing individuals to convey decisions about end-of-life care well ahead of need, communicating desires to family, friends and health care professionals and avoiding the potential for future confusion. Included on the state site are:
Thinking Ahead: My Way, My Choice, My Life at the End: Texas provides a helpful guide for thinking about end-of-life decisions. It is presented in an easy-to-follow workbook that highlights ways that you can advocate for what you want as you near the end of life and may be unable to adequately represent your wishes.
Grief Support
We can help you navigate grief
Hospice of Chattanooga provides our patients’ families with bereavement support up to 13 months following death, making sure that families have the support that they need.
If you’d like to talk to something, please contact our grief support team at:
Phone: 423-805-7112 Toll-free: 1-888-340-7830