Honoring the Grieving: Bereaved Parents Awareness Month

Why does this month matter?

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month offers an opportunity to shine a light on the challenges and strengths of parents who have lost a child throughout their lifespan. The loss of a child is unimaginable. Not everyone needs professional support while working through a death, but some benefit greatly when a therapist trained in griefwork walks alongside them through the pain.

Understanding parental grief

Recent studies on bereavement have explored how parents continue to relate to their child after the child’s passing. While traditional views often emphasized the need for emotional detachment to heal, many grieving parents instead strive to maintain a lasting bond with their child. Although they must face the painful reality of physical separation, most parents actively seek ways to preserve a connection.

Understanding the reasons behind this ongoing relationship is key to offering meaningful support. One of the most profound fears parents have after losing a child is that their child will be forgotten,  by themselves or others. This fear often inspires them to keep the child’s memory alive, build lasting tributes, and express love in ways that honor their child, sometimes by helping others in the child’s name.

How palliative care can support grieving families

There is strong justification for this proactive approach, as newly bereaved individuals are at heightened risk for various health issues. These can include depression, anxiety, prolonged or complicated grief, and even increased mortality. In the months following a significant loss, caregivers may experience a decline in their overall health or worsening of pre-existing conditions. Bereavement-related health impacts may involve serious concerns such as major depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, substance use, suicidal thoughts, cardiovascular problems, digestive issues, and disrupted sleep.

Palliative care is often seen as something that ends when a patient passes away , but in reality, its role continues into bereavement. Supporting grieving families is a vital part of compassionate, holistic care.

1. Emotional & Psychological Support

Palliative care teams include trained counselors, social workers, and chaplains who provide grief counseling, emotional check-ins, and a safe space for family members to express their feelings.

2. Bereavement Follow-Up

After a patient passes, many services reach out to families through phone calls, letters, or home visits. This contact helps check on their well-being and offers continued support through the early stages of grief.

3. Education About Grief

Families are provided with information about what to expect in the grieving process, helping normalize their experience and reduce feelings of isolation or confusion.

4. Referral to Grief Resources

If additional support is needed, palliative care can connect families with grief therapists, support groups, or community services tailored to their needs.

5. Memorial and Remembrance Activities

Some palliative care programs offer memorial services, tribute events, or legacy projects that help families honor and remember their loved ones in meaningful ways.

6. Family-Centered Care

Support is offered not just to the primary caregiver but to the entire family, including children and extended family members, recognizing that grief affects everyone differently.

7. Respecting Ongoing Bonds

Palliative care acknowledges that grieving families often maintain a continuing bond with their loved one. Staff are trained to support this relationship in healthy, healing ways.

Mental health and long-term support resources

Mental health services play a crucial role in supporting individuals dealing with emotional and psychological challenges. They help prevent mild concerns from escalating into serious conditions, provide effective coping strategies, and contribute to improved overall well-being.

Breaking the silence and embracing healing

Grieving the loss of a child is one of the most painful experiences a parent can endure. For too long, this type of grief has been surrounded by silence, unspoken, unseen, and misunderstood. Bereaved Parents Awareness Month gives us the opportunity to change that narrative by shedding light on their journey and honoring both their sorrow and strength.

Understanding the depth of parental grief allows us to offer compassionate, meaningful support. From the continued bonds parents maintain with their children, to the need for emotional validation and remembrance, it’s clear that healing is not about forgetting, but about finding ways to live with love and loss side by side.

Palliative care and mental health services play a vital role in this process. They provide space for families to grieve safely, access timely resources, and feel supported through each stage of their journey. Whether it’s a follow-up call, a memorial activity, or simply someone to listen, these small acts can break the silence and open the door to healing.

By acknowledging grief, talking about it openly, and walking alongside those who mourn, we foster a culture of empathy and care. Let us continue to break the silence—not just this month, but always, and remind every grieving parent: you are not alone, and your child is never forgotten