NAHC New Hospice Bereavement Survey Now Available

At the request of hospice members, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) Research Committee developed and tested an easy to use, concise Hospice Bereavement Survey. Hospices should also be aware that NAHC has two other ongoing hospice surveys, a Patient Satisfaction Survey and a Family Satisfaction Survey. The final Bereavement Survey has now been added and is available for hospices to begin using. The Bereavement Survey questions include the following:

• When did the death of your family member or friend occur?
• Which of the following were communicated to you by hospice in the time since the death occurred? Information about grief and loss; Reassurance about what you were going through; Availability of grief counseling by hospice; Availability of support groups; and Information about memorial services or events?
• During this first year after the death, did hospice stay in touch with you by mail? By phone?
• Have you made any calls to hospice during this period?
• Did you meet with anyone from hospice for in-person grief support at your home, at a facility or somewhere else?
• Did you attend any memorial services or events that were offered?
• About how much support have you received during this first year after the death of your family member or friend?
• How well did our hospice deliver bereavement services in ways that were sensitive to your cultural or spiritual background?
• Have you experienced other major stresses or problems in your life during the last 13 months?
• Overall, how well do you feel you are coping at this time?
• What was your relationship to the patient that received our care?
• Your age range?
• Male/female?
• Which of the following best describes your race or ethnic background (check all that apply)?
• If there is anything else you would like us to know, such as how our hospice bereavement services may be improved, please write below.

The hospice surveys are available on the NAHC website: www.nahc.org/HPCBereavement/. NAHC will collect the data and provide a quarterly report to NAHC Members.