-
18. Bereavement Care in Hong Kong: Past, Present and Future
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
- Chapter
- Additional Information
18 Bereavement Care in Hong Kong: Past, Present and Future AmyYin Man CHOW and CeciliaLai Wan CHAN Introduction Death mark s a permanent separatio n fro m ou r love d ones . It hurts becaus e we are socially, emotionally and psychologically attached to the deceased, an d our loved one may feel like a part of us. His or her death i s equivalent t o th e amputation o f a limb from ou r body. It is an irreversibl e loss . As there i s no Chinese ter m t o describe bereavement , we use th e litera l translatio n o f "th e experience o f losing a dear one" (ifelSWMlt). 1 Deat h is a taboo subject tha t is also not frequently mentioned 2 an d is always replaced by euphemisms. Th e absence o f a Chines e concep t o f bereavemen t a s well a s th e infrequen t mention o f th e concep t i n dail y conversatio n deter s o r eve n inhibit s th e development o f bereavement car e in Chines e communities . Bereavement Care in Hong Kong: The Past Informal support from family Bereaved Chines e expecte d t o be supporte d b y their ow n informa l suppor t network as well as by elaborate funeral rituals. 3 As a result of the large numbe r of families emigratin g from Hon g Kon g to other countrie s in th e 1990 s an d the rapi d agin g o f th e population , th e siz e of the immediat e an d extende d familial support network has shrunk. The informal support that the population depended upon in the past is not readily available now. The lack of preparation for deat h an d inadequat e socia l suppor t ca n mak e th e adjustmen t t o bereavement more difficult . 254Amy Yin ManCHOW and CeciliaLai WanCHAN Remedialcare fromprofessionals Professionals ofte n offe r bereavemen t car e durin g thei r dail y contact wit h clients, patients or students. The first specialized bereavemen t car e in Hon g Kong was offered , since 199 3 by a clinical psychologis t an d volunteers4 of Nam Long Hospital, a cancer hospital. Influenced b y William Worden's books Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy,5 "6 the term "bereavemen t counselling " is used interchangeabl y wit h "grie f counselling" . Lik e th e concep t o f bereavement, ther e is no compatible Chinese term for the concept of "grief . The Chines e ter m bei shang ($tiM) i s a direc t translatio n o f th e litera l meaning o f "grief, ye t the Chines e ter m mean s "sadness" . The vast scop e of emotion s tha t ar e embrace d b y the Englis h wor d "grie f i s lost. Th e Chinese term for "bereavement counselling" is literally translated as bei shang fudao(miU$$*$).6 Bereavementcare asextensionofhospicecare Structured bereavemen t group s wer e ru n for bereave d famil y member s o f deceased patient s i n Na m Lon g Hospital . Th e ai m o f th e group s wa s to facilitate th e expression o f emotions as well as foster mutua l support . Thre e groups ha d bee n organize d b y the en d o f 1994. 7 Shortl y afte r that , th e professional tea m of Bradbury Hospice, the first independent hospice in Hong Kong, als o set up a system o f risk assessment for bereaved famil y members . The interventio n include s sendin g condolenc e cards , makin g telephon e contact, offerin g offic e interview s and home visit s by the home car e nurse s who knew the family members well before th e death of the patient. A medical social worker an d a psychologist supporte d them . I n th e beginning o f the 1990s, only bereaved famil y member s o f patients in these tw o hospices were specially privileged t o have these teams of experts serve them . We have tried t o apply an integrated Easter n body-mind-spiri t approach 8 into servin g Chinese...
