Blog

Telehealth grief support is easier than you think!

grief and lossBy Melissa Waugh, MS, Grief Support Specialist

Did you ever imagine meeting with a Grief Support Specialist via telehealth? Probably not before the current pandemic, especially if you are not comfortable with technology. Perhaps your loved one handled all of the technology issues in your life and at the moment, you feel overwhelmed with the idea of taking on something new such as a telehealth visit. This reluctance is normal.

The good news is telehealth is not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, most people find the technology is actually easy and convenient.

People who use telehealth agree that it allows them to participate in Grief Support Services without driving to an office, and with no exposure in a waiting room. If they are not at home, they can log on remotely. Most feel that it is much easier to use than anticipated.

Some people now use a similar program to meet with their medical doctor for follow-up visits. Often, telehealth allows clients to participate in ways that an office visit wouldn’t allow, such as showing family pictures on their walls, their loved one’s dog or cat, or artwork that they or their loved one created. One person took their tablet outside to share the sounds of the birds in the memorial garden they had planted.

Set-Up Tips for Telehealth

It is important to choose a location for your visit where you can talk privately with few interruptions.

  • All you need for a telehealth visit is an internet connection and a device such as a home computer with a microphone and camera, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone.
  • You will receive an email with the weblink www.doxy.me attached to the telehealth program.
  • Practice logging in a few days prior to your appointment so that you can perform a test to determine if your camera and microphone are compatible.
  • If you use your phone for the visit, use a phone holder or lean the phone against something in order to keep it steady during the session. That will allow you to be free to talk without trying to hold your phone steady.
  • Make sure your device is fully charged or plugged in. Video calls consume more energy, so you want to be prepared.
  • If you decide you want to try telehealth, call 816.363.2600 and ask for Grief Support Services. Grief Support Specialists are also available for phone visits.

Visit our website: kchospice.org/grief and explore online grief support articles. If you prefer to listen rather than read, podcasts about grief are also available.

Always remember that Grief Support Services is here for you. While we are happy that we have telehealth and online services to offer, we look forward to the time when we can once again provide in-person groups and support.

About Us

 
The mission of Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care is to bring expert care, peace of mind, comfort, guidance, and hope to people who are affected by life-limiting illness or by grief. Our vision is that each person in our community is valued from life through death and each family is supported in their grief.

 


Leave a Reply

Our Programs

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care provides comprehensive, expert care for all ages at all stages of serious illness.

Hospice Care

When the focus shifts to comfort instead of treatment, care comes to your home or nursing facility with a plan tailored to your needs, including emotional and spiritual support for the whole family.

Read More

Hospice Care

Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care is the community clinical site for the University of Kansas Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. We're committed to developing physicians with specialty-level training in caring for patients with serious or terminal illness.

Read More

Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Community-Based Palliative Care

Beginning as early as diagnosis and at any stage of serious illness, our nurse practitioners make home visits as needed to help coordinate your care and provide expert pain and symptom management.

Read More

Community-Based Palliative Care
Hospice House

Hospice House

When symptoms cannot be easily managed at home, two hospice houses provide 24/7 expert care in comfortable home-line settings where family members can be relieved of caregiving duties to focus on loved ones.

Read More

Carousel Pediatric Care

Carousel provides palliative and hospice care for perinatal and for babies through young adults with a dedicated team of pediatric nurses, social workers, chaplains and other specialists.

Read More

Carousel Pediatric Care
Solace House

Solace House

Our center for grief and healing supports individuals and families who have been impacted by the death of a loved one, whether anticipated, or sudden and unexpected. We provide opportunities to share, listen, learn and heal with peer group support from age 3 through adult.

Read More