"No Wrong Way to Grieve": Is That Even True? How to respond and Intervene Effectively

July 21, 2026 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM (EDT)

Description

What if some of the most common things we say about grief are not helping at all and may even be getting in the way of real support? 

Challenge what you think you know about grief, uncover the truth behind common hospice myths, and walk away with practical, compassionate ways to respond when there are no easy answers.

KEY WEBINAR TAKEAWAYS 

• Common hospice myths such as “He waited for you to leave the room to die in order to spare you that pain”, “Hearing is the last sense to go”, “There is no wrong way to grieve”, and others 
• The “righting reflex”: what drives us to want to fix the unfixable
• How to find balance between being supportive and at the same time accurate in the messages we deliver 
• Some potential consequences of delivering messages that are inaccurate or misleading
• What does it mean to have an “evidence-based practice” grounded in rigorous/critical thinking? 

BONUS MATERIALS 

• An assessment tool to use individually, with teams, and organizationally
• A guide for utilizing and teaching critical thinking 
• Discussion guide for use with teams
• Handout with additional lecture notes
• Links for additional reading and learning opportunities 

WEBINAR DETAILS

Is what we say to patients, families, and our communities even true or are we intervening based on hand-me-down information? In other words, “I say it because others say it and it sounds like it should be true”. In many situations we want to help people find answers to questions that really have no answers. Over the years, many hospice urban myths have been created and passed along so many times that they begin to feel as if they are actually true…or based in truth to some degree. In this webinar we will take a look at many of these myths and ask the question “Is this really true?” We will then explore better ways to support people when life events feel “unfair” or hopeless.

THIS WEBINAR WILL BENEFIT THE FOLLOWING AGENCIES:

• Hospice 
• Home Care
• Home Health
• Palliative Care

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? 

• All members patient/family care IDTs 
• Bereavement professionals
• Directors of patient care teams

TAKE-AWAY TOOLKIT

• Employee training log
• Interactive quiz
• PDF of slides and speaker’s contact info for follow-up questions
• Attendance certificate provided to self-report CE credits

NOTE: All materials are subject to copyright. Transmission, retransmission, or republishing of any webinar to other institutions or those not employed by your institution is prohibited. Print materials may be copied for eligible participants only. 

Presented By

Gary Gardia