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Loved Ones’ End-of-Life and Existential Considerations as a Caregiver

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Psychotherapy for Families after Brain Injury

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Abstract

This chapter explores end-of-life and existential considerations about illness, injury, or death and provides “helpful hints” and coping tools for the family system. It is divided into several subsections. First, using brain tumors as a prototype, the relatives’ practical and emotional preparation for the loved one’s impending death is delved into. Specific topics include advance directives, hospice care, anticipatory grief, denial, emotional preparedness, and presencing. Positive aspects of caregiving are appraised. Following this, grief reactions and coping techniques after the death of the loved one are examined in family members, including children. The mourning (or emotional reconstitution) and adjustment process after the death of a loved one is then discussed. The concept of “complicated grief” is touched upon. Fundamental existential constructs for caregivers and the family are derived from positive psychology and existential psychology and include: restructuring the assumptive world and lifestyles; integrating ambiguous loss and chronic sorrow; posttraumatic growth; new meaning in life; spirituality; hope; resiliency; learned optimism; as well as personal and family morale. A case study illustrates the therapeutic process and principles. The chapter also incorporates a number of multimedia resources to exemplify the constructs, including websites, songs, books, stories, plays, poetry, broadcasts, and films.

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  1. Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

    Pamela S. Klonoff

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  1. Pamela S. Klonoff
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Correspondence to Pamela S. Klonoff .

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Klonoff, P. (2014). Loved Ones’ End-of-Life and Existential Considerations as a Caregiver. In: Psychotherapy for Families after Brain Injury. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-8083-0_10

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