Understanding the needs of families: providing after death care when a child or adult die

We believe that care shouldn't end after death, and leading organisations agree with us. They're choosing to include bereavement care in their holistic approach, treating not only the whole person, addressing the patient’s medical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual needs, but after death care too.

Every patient has a unique care plan suited to their needs and the needs of their family and support community in life. We believe that after death shouldn’t be any different.

What’s changed?

Up until around 150 years ago, death was primarily managed within the family circle. Typically occurring at home or in natural settings, families or clans would undertake the care of their deceased loved ones’ bodies. This included washing, dressing, sometimes photographing, and often arranging visitation for mourners.

However, in the latter half of the 19th century, the profession of “undertaking” emerged, leading to a shift in customs. Families began entrusting the care of their deceased to funeral homes, marking a transition in how death was handled in society.

For many families, the thought of entrusting their loved one to the morgue can be excruciating. They can long to care for their loved one and may feel troubled by the idea of their loved one alone in a morgue. Moreover, for some families, the prospect of handing their loved one over to a stranger from the funeral home can also be unsettling.

In contrast, keeping their loved one close by in a hospice or at home until the time of burial or cremation can help to alleviate potential anguish and regret, providing families with a heightened sense of their care giving role and identity.The CuddleBlanket allows families the ability to continue the relationship with you, the hospice.

Why is the gift of time so important to families after death?

Families can derive deep fulfilment from actively engaging in the protection, care, and nurturing of their child or loved one in a hospice or at home, fulfilling an innate instinct. They can find solace in the comforting embrace of holding their child’s hand at any moment, allowing relatives to visit, hosting a celebration of life, and making funeral arrangements without feeling rushed.

These are all potentially healing rituals that can avert a feeling of unfinished business, instead allowing parents for instance to proceed as parents and see things through to a more fulfilling conclusion.

Learn more about the CuddleBlanket here

Learn more about the CuddleBlanket in a US Hospice setting here

Talk to our team today about how you can offer compassionate bereavement care at your organisation.

Call: US +1 800 992 8977

UK: +44 (0)8455 333561

or email: [email protected]