Caring for the Carer

The Center on the Family will hold their third brown bag seminar of the semester on Friday, November 30, in Miller 101, from noon to 1 p.m. Michael Cheang (FCS) will be presenting on “The Significance of a Caregiver Support Group After the Death of a Loved One: A Case Study.” As he explains, much research has been done on the value of bereavement support groups, but little is known about how caregiver support groups may provide continuing valuable support for former caregivers who are now in bereavement. This talk discusses the phenomenon of caregivers who continue to regularly attend caregiver support sessions even though their loved ones have passed away, despite the availability of bereavement support groups. While bereavement support services offered by hospices can be very helpful for the bereaved, findings from this “Caregiver Graduate” study yield some surprising insights and important reasons why caregivers who are now bereaved continue to regularly come to the support group sessions. Michael Cheang has worked on various projects on aging with county offices across the state of Hawai‘i. Much of his work has been with caregivers who care for their older adult parents and relatives.