Download the PowerPoint presentation about smoking cessation presented at St. Joseph's Outpatient Center on Thursday, Oct. 6 (PDF).
Click here to view "Toward the Goal of Smoke Free Homes" PowerPoint presentation.
You also can view the Web cast entitled "Creating Smoke Free Environments." Description: Grand Rounds to provide practitioners knowledge of interventions to assist patients in smoking cessation. Estimated duration: 2:14:40
Online educational programs are available through the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Web site.
Once at the site:
- Click on the link "View the Catalog of our Web casts."
- Browse the program catalog or search for the presentation using the search engine. Select events by the year.
- Click on your presentation selection.
Services provided for professionals helping bereaved families
The following services are provided for professionals helping bereaved families:
Regional training programs: The Infant Death Center provides multi-disciplinary training programs for professionals. Topics include current research on SIDS, causes of infant mortality and the dynamics of grief and loss. Contact the office near you for more information.
Discipline specific training: The Infant Death Center offers discipline-specific training. The programs include information on risk reduction efforts, research and grief to help professionals work with each other and families in crisis. Contact the office near you for more information.
Consultation with a pediatric pathologist: The Infant Death Center can connect families with a pathologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin to assist with questions related to SIDS or other causes of death.
Case consultation with center staff: Center staff are available to discuss concerns about specific cases. Topics may include current research on sudden and unexpected infant death, dynamics of grief and loss, risk reduction and resources available.
Newsletter: Wisconsin Perspectives is published three times a year and provides information on current research, grief and loss, and other topics.
Involvement in review teams: Center staff participate in child health and fetal infant mortality review teams across the state. The teams review the circumstances surrounding the death to determine if there are strategies to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Press releases: The center provides press releases and announcements when there is new information on research helpful to professionals dealing with infant mortality or infant health.
Community presentations: Center staff are available to provide community presentations on risk reduction, grief and loss and other topics related to sudden and unexpected infant deaths.
Outreach: Center staff work to educate parents and professionals about reducing the risk of infant death. Outreach activities include communication of risk reduction information and working with other organizations to develop strategies to prevent future infant deaths.
Links for Professionals:
Tool Kit for Reducing the Risk Education Resources:
The following resources offer educational materials to assist professionals in providing risk reduction information:
- CJ Foundation for SIDS provides education materials that can be downloaded, as well as information on current research.
- First Candle provides downloadable risk reduction materials.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics, with other partners, provides information and training materials to childcare providers on SIDS risk reduction. Training materials are provided in English and Spanish.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides downloadable English and Spanish teaching materials related to safe sleep and crib safety, including information on providing baby safety showers.
- The National Institute of Child and Human Development provides Back to Sleep brochures, videos, door cards, refrigerator magnets, tear off fact sheets, and pamphlets (all free of charge) related to SIDS and safe sleep. Many materials are in English and Spanish.
- The National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center provides materials that can be downloaded on Safe Sleep and SIDS in Childcare. It also has a comprehensive listing of resources providing materials and updated information for both risk reduction and bereavement.
- The New Non-English Materials and Resources index page, available on the Maternal and Child Health Library website, provides easy access to information in the MCH Library that is available in over 60 languages. The index page lists each language for which information is available and provides automated searching of library databases.
Understanding bereaved parents:
The guidelines below were developed by bereaved parents to assist professionals in meeting the needs of bereaved families:
We offer the following as basic principles for responding to parents, caregivers and others dealing with the death of a child:
C is for Care: Empathize with the parents. Tell them you are sorry. Tell them your emotions. Do not say, "I know how you feel." Allow the parent to express their feelings. Do not try to rationalize the child's death or compare this to other tragedies.
H is for Humanize: Treat the family the way you would want to be treated. Be compassionate. Explain what you are doing in a considerate way. Allow the parents' wishes and rituals to be included in the necessary routine. Offer to meet face-to-face, rather than on the phone.
I is for Inform: Explain what you are doing. Give the information you know to be correct, but do not pass on information that may be misleading. If you know the child's status and the parent does not, you must ensure they are aware of the seriousness of the situation and are supported until the appropriate person can inform them.
L is for Listen: Allow the parent to speak about their child and to tell their story; this is a powerful need at all stages of grief. Acknowledge the parents' emotions (guilt and anger may be very powerful in early grief). Do not try to rationalize the child's death. Realize that people grieve differently. In particular, there may be a more masculine and more feminine approach to grief.
D is for Do your job: Make sure you are performing in a professional and ethical manner. Explain to the parents, caregivers and family if your job brings them emotional difficulty. Every aspect of the early response to a child's death will be deeply remembered for years to come. A professional, caring attitude will be long appreciated.
We endorse the following Do's and Don'ts for professionals:
DO say you are sorry. If you express your emotions, it helps to validate the parents' grief and respect the child's memory.
DON'T try to find a silver lining. Other children in the family or the possibility of future children does not erase the loss of this child. Don't impose your religious views on the parents.
DO stay with the parents or caregivers as long as you are able. Do not leave parents alone; make sure someone will stay with them.
DON'T be afraid to use the child's name.
DO allow parents to be with their dead or dying child. Holding their child for the last time, collecting a locket of hair or footprints may have enduring meaning.
DON'T withhold information. Help the parents be as well informed as possible, sharing sources of support. Don't give information that you are uncertain about.
DO remember to speak slowly. You may have to repeat yourself.
DON'T tell the family over the phone that their child has died. Let them know they need to be present for a serious situation, but allow them to arrive safely and be informed of the worst news with appropriate support.
DO be aware that people grieve differently. The stoic individual may harbor as much pain as the one who is sobbing.
DO seek support for yourself in coping with the tragedy of a child's death, which affects everyone. Speak with fellow professionals, attend crisis debriefings, and contact bereavement counselors to help you cope in your personal and professional lives.
Special thanks to the following parents who developed the guidelines:
- Sophie Kramer.
- David and Lucy Leschke.
- Jane Ore.
- Fred Pfile.
- Mary Miskulin Sjogren.
- Karen Yaccarino.
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