STATUS OF IMPLEMENTING GRIEF CARE IN NURSING HOMES IN JAPAN

The purpose of this research was to clarify the implementation status of grief care in nursing homes in Japan. The subjects of this research were nurses who work in nursing home in Japan. It was investigated using a questionnaire. The question items included sex, age, years of nursing experience, participation in grief care study sessions, and implementation status of the grief care. Responses were obtained from 120 nurses. The breakdown of subjects’ sexes was 5.0% men and 95.0% women. Those in their 40s and 50s comprised 67.5%. Those with 10 to 20 years of nursing experience comprised 33.3%. Of respondents, 54.2% of nurses had participated in grief care study sessions. Regarding implementation of grief care, respondents answered in the following ways: “The mental process of mourning is explained to the family of the person who passed away” 50.0%, “When the family of the deceased person leaves the nursing home, words of consolation are offered” 96.4%, “I attend the funeral” 37.8%, “ Spiritual care is given to the family thought to have elevated need for it” 11.9%, “I feel a sense of achievement in the current status of grief care” 67.0%, and “It is necessary to perform a family’s mental care as an organization” 76.9%. The result of the analysis shows that “The mental process of mourning is explained to the family” was related to age (p<0.01), and “I feel a sense of achievement in the current status of grief care” was related to participation in grief care study sessions (p<0.05).