www.oltca.com LONG TERM CARE TODAY 43 ASK THE EXPERT Q.  How can long-term care professionals learn to cope with grief when residents die? Whether it’s a team member’s first day in a home or their 20th year on the floor, the loss of an individual in their care can produce strong and unpredictable emotions despite best efforts to appear “professional” or unmoved by the loss. While our human instinct is to put up our defences and “put on a brave face,” it’s more beneficial in the long run to learn how to build our resilience and learn to accept and honour our grief. Grief is the price we pay for caring about people. We need to recognize it and grow from it. Resilience means making peace with the inevitability of death and illness in a long-term care home; practising self-care to keep yourself physically and mentally prepared for these occurrences; developing healthy coping strategies; and recognizing that grief is always changing. Practising mindfulness is one way to build resilience because when we identify and accept our emotions, we can become better at working through them. Resilience can also be nurtured by the workplace through external support, which for long-term care professionals may include education and awareness training that helps to normalize grief in the workplace; peer support for grief through open discussions at work, peer guides and mentoring newer staff; and support through access to social workers and formal rituals around a resident’s death that give staff an opportunity to acknowledge and mourn the person they cared for. Finally, remember to be kind to yourself. The more you practise self-care for your wellness, the more equipped you will be processing grief. That self-care includes learning to change your perspective, using gratitude practices, setting realistic goals, celebrating success, fostering meaningful relationships, practising compassion, and accepting that we are all empathetic and compassionate people trying to do our best. Death is a natural part of life in long-term care. The more homes can help staff build their resilience, the more adept staff will be at managing these difficult times. - Tara Cohen is a Social Worker with the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program Ask the Expert is generously sponsored by Arjo Canada, Cardinal Health Canada, and Essity Canada, the Corporate Alliance Partners of the Ontario Long Term Care Association. The opin- ions and information contained in Ask the Expert are solely those of the author(s) and not reviewed or endorsed by the sponsors. Broker of Record, President Broker,Vice President N.S. Smith Real Estate Ltd. Brokerage, 15441 Yonge Street, Aurora, Ontario L4G 1P3 (905) 503-6000, 1-877-502-2885; Fax: (905) 503-6006 60 years experience Broker of Record, President Broker,Vice President N.S. Smith Real Estate Ltd. Brokerage, 15441 Yonge Street, Aurora, Ontario L4G 1P3 (905) 503-6000, 1-877-502-2885; Fax: (905) 503-6006 60 years experience www.smithrealestate.ca