Trauma-Informed End-of-Life Care

NHPCO is committed to ensuring hospice and palliative professionals and volunteers are knowledgeable about trauma-informed end-of-life care and that they practice in manner that actively resists traumatization or re-traumatization of those receiving and providing care. To this end, NHPCO has formed a Work Group to define the term, educate hospice and palliative care professionals and volunteers, and support the provision of trauma-informed end-of-life care.

New! 10-minute Videos on Trauma Informed Care
Courtesy of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Department of Social Work

Online Learning

Encore Trauma-Informed Care Related Presentations
This course uses conference session recordings to educate hospice and palliative care leaders about trauma-informed care.

General Resources

• • • Questions and Answers about Trauma-Informed End-of-Life Care
    • Organizational and Staff Resources About Trauma-Informed End-of-Life Care
    • Trauma Informed End-of-Life Care
    • Trauma-Informed End-of-Life Care Resources
    • Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) Trauma Informed Care Toolkit
    • Implementing Trauma-Informed Care: A Guidebook  Published 2019 by LeadingAge Maryland
    • Trauma-Informed Organizational Change Manual The Institute on Trauma and Trauma Informed Care
    • Trauma Informed End-of-Life Care Resources Includes resources on nursing homes, measuring success and moral distress

Specialized Resources

• • • We Honor Veterans Trauma-Informed Care Resources
    • Caring for Holocaust Survivors with Sensitivity at End of Life: A Guidebook for Clinicians Courtesy of MJHS
    • Trauma Informed Care for Persons with Dementia, Brain Failure and Cognitive Impairment Courtesy of Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc.

Easing Stress and Trauma Resources

• • • Short Exercises to Decrease Stress Courtesy of Children’s National Hospital, Mindful Mentors program.
    • Free VA  mental health apps for a variety of conditions including PTSD, mindfulness, insomnia, strengthening parenting skills and anger management.
    • COVID-19 Lessons: The Alignment of Palliative Medicine and Trauma-Informed Care Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
    • National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement Courtesy of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
    • Stress First Aid for Long-Term Care Staff Courtesy of Ithaca College Gerontology Institute and University of Rochester Medical Center
    • COVID-19: Where Doctors Can Get Help for Emotional Distress Courtesy of Medscape.
    • Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook Courtesy of JAMMA International.
    • The National Center for PTSD
    • Resources for Older Adults and Caregivers

Grief Related Resources

Use yoga, movement, breath, and sound to release pain and suffering and connect to love

The hidden perils of unresolved grief
McKinsey Quarterly | September 10, 2020

America isn’t ready for the coming wave of grief
Opinion by David M. Perry | February 11, 2021

What elements of a systems’ approach to bereavement are most effective in times of mass bereavement? A narrative systematic review with lessons for COVID-19
SAGE Journals | Volume: 34 issue: 9, page(s): 1165-1181
Article first published online: July 31, 2020; Issue published: October 1, 2020