Omega
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Islamic tradition tends to present death rituals in a quite univocal way, as the actual ritual practice shows to be far more diverse and flexible. This study focuses on the particular ritual of the cleansing of the deceased as it is practiced by a variety of Muslims in a small town context in The Netherlands. ⋯ To develop an eye for this common praxis, it is important not only to be aware of the religious dimensions but also of the social dimensions. By offering insights into the actual practices it aims to offer tangible leads to professionals for a more tailor-made care for Muslim patients and their relatives.
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Parents who have experienced the death of a child from cancer have unique bereavement needs. This study evaluated the possibility of instituting a home-based bereavement visit from the oncology team following a child's death. ⋯ Qualitative analysis of parental comments revealed common themes including processing grief, practical suggestions for visit, recognition of individual differences, perceived risks and benefits of visit, connections with medical staff, and unmet needs for support. In conclusion, a home visit program may satisfy needs for additional support while alleviating barriers to other types of bereavement care.
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Botswana, a country in sub-Saharan Africa, has been in the midst of an HIV/AIDs pandemic that has halted its previously lengthening life expectancy trend. However, one group to escape immediate effects on falling life span is the oldest old age group (> 80 years). Their roles in the community due to the pandemic, however, have changed. ⋯ Most stated causes of death (62.4%) were listed as "unknown." Most oldest-old Batswana died in rural areas (70.1%), and in rural areas, proportionally more oldest old died at home compared to cities and towns. On multivariate analysis, being a woman > 80 years of age at death predicted home death. Future longitudinal study needs to determine preferences of place of death and the quality of death of Batswana > 80 years, especially women.
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This qualitative study is the follow-up to a quantitative controlled study which showed a decrease in childhood traumatic grief and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in parentally bereaved children participating in a bereavement camp. The purpose of this study was to identify the healing components of this camp model. ⋯ Therapeutic Interventions and Traditional Camp Activities emerged as themes. The themes are discussed in relation to previous research as are limitations of the study and the implications for theory, practice, and future research.
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Many childhood deaths in the United States occur in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and parents have special needs in this death context. As an interdisciplinary research team, we discuss conceptual and design issues encountered in creating a new instrument, the Bereaved Parent Needs Assessment-PICU, for assessing parents' needs in this setting. ⋯ We describe using this qualitative foundation in the development of a new quantitative instrument to more widely validate and measure bereaved parents' needs around the time of a child's death across multiple PICUs. We highlight a series of issues that warrant consideration in designing a research instrument for this vulnerable population including setting and context, format and content, temporality, recruitment, and content expertise.