griefstep^™ Programs

Welcome to the griefstep^™ Programs' website. We are dedicated to EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement and adjunct personnel, both professional and volunteer.  With over 16 years experience training professionals in how to interact with the on-scene or bystander family and friends within the minutes before and after patient death or death determination, our program has established and promotes the Standard of Care in this field.

History

You may recognize this program as the Say the Right Thing, Do the Right Thing protocol. We originally started developing our program in 1990 in response to the changing termination of resuscitation (TOR) protocols and non-transport policies of EMS agencies.

Though many agencies have affiliation with adjunct services such as Chaplaincy Programs or Crisis Volunteers, it is not practical for fire, paramedics or law enforcement (911 teams) to wait until these individuals arrive at the scene to interact with the family when there is a death. Therefore, it is important that on-scene personnel know what to do immediately to manage the situation during this critical time.

Our task was to come up with a plan to counter the fears that dead bodies would be left on living room floors with callousness. We were to implement a program for the 911 responder that would instruct him or her in 1) how to tell families that their loved one was not responding and would not be transported to a hospital and 2) what was an appropriate standard of assistance to apply given the seriousness of the situation.

The first official training was in 1992. Today this program has set the Standard of Care for the on-scene bereaved and remains the most ethical and appropriate program in use to address the sensitivities needed in any non-transport situation.

Saves Money

• Reduces expensive futile transports to the hospital.
• Non-transports eliminate costly and unnecessary ED workups.
• Reduced Code 3 transports lowers the odds of ambulance involved traffic accidents, thus reducing injury and liability.
• Frantic family members are kept off the road, reducing the risk of auto accidents and the additional 911 response required.

Reduces Provider Stress

• Grief STEP^tmTraining provides a historical, social and legal context in which to put “death”, thus increasing the comfort level for 911 team members regarding death.
• Knowing what to do and how to do it reduces provider stress.
• Paramedics and EMTs are allowed to shift their focus from identifying with the problem – death, to understanding what to do with the bystander family/friends, thus identifying with the solution.
• The natural desire to help is still important, even with death, thus increasing job satisfaction.
• Paramedics, EMTs, fire and law enforcement experience increased respect from the community served.
• 911 team members know what to expect, say and do if one of their own dies or experiences a personal death or loss.
  

Transferable Skills

• Trained personnel find the knowledge, training processes and skills learned, useful in understanding acute reactions in others.
• Interpersonal skills can be used in a broader scope.  Ex. people who have had a house fire, disaster, assault/rape victims, conscious victims in transport.

Customer Valued Service

• The community you serve gets a low cost, yet very appropriate, value added service.
• Appropriate and sensitive interaction directly influences the voting population.

Lasting Impressions

• People in crisis do remember their good and bad encounters with emergency services. Citizens remembering supportive experiences during their time of need will enhance your professional reputation.
• Using thoughtful interpersonal skills helps promote the profession within the community, thus influencing the next generation.

Basic Training Package $345.00

This is a self-contained implementation and training program. Instead of paying $8,000 or more for consultation and training, you pay $345.00 (free shipping). Additional Resource Manuals and Field Guides are available so that each station and rig can have these tools at hand when needed.

All you need is a motivated administrator and an instructor.

Program Goals:

1. Learn the Standard of Care for on-scene family members when death is imminent or determined.
2. Learn historical, legal and social contextual issues.
3. Learn what responder can do to immediately mitigate certain traumatic events for the on-scene family members.
4. Learn appropriate ways to interact with all age groups concerning death.
5. Learn the influences of gender that may manifest at the scene, how to help.
6. Increase the comfort of the provider dealing with death as part of her/his job.

You will receive an up-to-date Trainer’s Manual and CD which include:

A step-by-step guide in how to customize and implement this program to fit specific needs of your agency.
Rationale for best practices.
Didactic and interactive instructional materials, including our well accepted ‘Anatomy of Death Notification’.
On CD the PowerPoint for classroom instruction .
On CD the templates for handouts or brochures to leave with family at the scene: ‘When Someone you love dies’ and ‘Coroner Information’. Both items designed specially for 911 teams to leave with families.
Lessons learned from experience.
As an instructor, how to use death humor.
Procedures for program maintenance and refresher course.
Periodic course updates as needed.
Examples of course curriculum:
Legal, social, historical and cultural parameters.
Preparing family and death telling, within legal boundaries.
Skills for specific reactions of the acutely bereaved, such as anger, shock, and disbelief.
On-scene body management.
Addressing specific needs of the acutely bereaved, such as age, ability and circumstances of death.
What the family expects you to know.
Funeral consumer information - to avoid misinformation.
Bridging to community.
Leaving the scene.

---

If you would like more information please e-mail Mary at: mary@griefstep.com

Phone: 916.366.8026
Fax: 916.361.2208

For Mail Orders, please send to:
Grief STEP™ Programs
P.O. Box 276846
Sacramento, CA 95827

Grief STEP™ Programs
3336 Bradshaw Rd Suite 340
Sacramento, CA 95827

This page and all the material on this www site Copyright © 2008 by Grief STEP(TM) Programs
All rights reserved