The mission of Duke University Hospital Bereavement Services is to facilitate and support healthy grieving for patients, families, and significant others before, during, and after death, and to educate and support the staff who provide their care.

"The way we deal with loss shapes our capacity to be present to life more than anything else. The way we protect ourselves from loss may be the way in which we distance ourselves from life. We burn out not because we don't care but because we don't grieve."
-- Rachel Naomi Remen Kitchen Table Wisdom

Our Services

The Bereavement Services program provides a clearing house for information, resources, and support regarding grief, loss, dying, and death. Support is available in a variety of ways for patients, families, and staff through the services listed below.

Contact us at: bereavement@mc.duke.edu.

Duke University Hospital Service of Remembrance, a special event to remember those who have been cared for at Duke University Hospital. Family and staff are invited to come. Call 919-684-4750 for more information.

See a listing of upcoming services

Staff Memorial Service, a time for community, prayer, reflection, music, grief & hope, and space to remember Duke employees who have died.  This memorial event is held in the spring and fall.  Call 684-4750 for more information.

See a listing of upcoming services.

Pediatric Day of Remembrance: Saturday, June 22, 2013.
E-mail pedsdayofremembrance@duke.edu for more information.

Remembrance Quilts

Remembrance Art Quilt

Threads of Our Lives Quilt

Grief Counseling and Support

• Duke Community Bereavement Services
• Grief in the Workplace
• Duke Perinatal Loss Support Group: Monthly group. Call 919-681-3576 for more information.
• Grief materials (see below)

Education

• Professional Development (for health care providers)
• Grief in the Workplace: Helping Employees Cope with End of Life and Other Loss Issues

Consultation

Staff is available to develop, facilitate, or present training or support opportunities regarding dying, death, loss, and grief.

Bereavement Advisory Council

The Bereavement Advisory Council (BAC) is a multidisciplinary committee that works closely with the Bereavement Services Program to develop and sponsor programs for patients, families, and staff in areas of grief, loss, death, and dying.

We recruit new members in the fall. New BAC start in January and serve three-year terms. Call 919-684-4750 for more information.

Download an application (PDF, 74 KB) if you are interested.

End-of-Life Care Programs

The following programs offer an overview of local, state, and national news, legislation, events, calendars, newsletters, resources, and initiatives.

• Duke Center for Palliative Care
• Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life
• The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care
• Project Compassion

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Grief Materials

Grief is a natural reaction to loss, and each person grieves in their own unique way. The following grief materials can help you understand the grief process, and support your journey towards healing.

Adult

• Dementia: Issues of Loss and Grief - English (PDF, 57 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 57 KB)
• Helping Yourself After a Loss - English (PDF, 96 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 68 KB)
• Understanding Grief and Mourning - English (PDF, 89 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 99 KB)
• Grief in the Workplace (PDF, 93 KB)

Child

• Helping Yourself After the Loss of a Child - English (PDF, 82 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 75 KB)
• How Family and Friends Can Help - English (PDF, 54 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 38 KB)
• A Father's Grief (PDF, 88 KB)
• Healing Together - As A Couple (PDF, 81 KB)
• Single Parent's Grief (PDF, 89 KB)
• Understanding Grief and Mourning (PDF, 89 KB)

Baby

• A Father's Grief - English (PDF, 87 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 110 KB)
• Healing Together as a Couple - English (PDF, 27 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 27 KB)
• Helping Yourself After the Loss of a Baby - English (PDF, 84 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 34 KB)
• How Family and Friends Can Help - English (PDF, 55 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 25 KB)
• Single Parent Grief - English (PDF, 26K B) / Spanish (PDF, 27 KB)
• Understanding Grief and Mourning - English (PDF, 89KB) / Spanish (PDF, 27 KB)

Traumatic Loss

• Coping After a Traumatic Death - English (PDF, 67 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 76 KB)
• Coping After a Suicide - English (PDF, 66 KB) / Spanish (PDF, 72 KB)
• Coping After a Homicide (PDF, 86 KB)

Additional Grief-Related Information

• Mourner's Bill of Rights (PDF, 38 KB)
• How Can I Support Someone Who Is Grieving? (PDF, 43 KB)
• Adapting to Loss (PDF, 62 KB)
• Children's Grief (PDF, 127 KB)
• It Won't Be the Same This Year (PDF, 39 KB)
• Vision Loss and Grief (PDF, 104 KB)
• Grief Bibliography (PDF, 65 KB)
• Cultural Competence at End of Life (PDF, 270 KB)