The purpose of this assignment is to analyze child and family’s concept of death and dying. (CLC1a)
In addition to your CCLS duties at your local hospital, you also write a Child Life advice column for the Towne Journal. Riley, an 8-year-old, has terminal cancer. Her mother, Mrs. Rainey, is constantly at her side and writes to you with a concern. She and her husband have two other children at home, a 12-year-old and a 4-year-old. Mrs. Rainey asks you for suggestions on how to talk to them about Riley’s imminent death. What suggestions can you provide?
Respond to Mrs. Rainey’s letter in the format of a newspaper column. Give her three suggestions for handling this difficult time, keeping in mind the developmental stage of each child, and support these suggestions with evidence from the literature. Also, because parents are often emotionally distant when they lose a child, find a local family bereavement support group the Rainey’s can attend and include the contact information in your article.
