The document discusses the emotional challenges faced by a family following the death of Victor, a father and husband who succumbed to cancer. Each family member, including his wife Isabelle and children Paul, Lenore, Sophia, and Joseph, copes with the loss differently, leading to tension and dysfunction within the family. The text emphasizes the significance of healthy coping strategies and the importance of communication in processing grief, particularly in the context of cultural considerations.

1. Please respond to peers separately
(T.A) Peer Response one
Death of a parent, sibling, spouse, child(ren) is a tragic event
that occurs in our lives, as it is a part of life’s cycle. Though
death can occur at any point in the life cycle, the proportion of
individuals who died in late adulthood is much greater than at
any other time (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). For many, the
consequences of death have a negative impact on their daily
lives. In the case study, Victor’s death has put his wife and
children in a position they don’t want to be in and they are
suffering from it. Although many people experience
psychological and physical symptoms following the death of a
significant person, particularly of a spouse or child, some
individuals appear to react to such losses more strongly than
others (Umberson & Chen, 1994).
Factors Driving Reaction
Victor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was in and out
of the hospital for treatments. However, his condition worsened
causing him to have constant care and later died. Since the
death of their husband/father, there has been some dysfunction
in the family. The factors driving Isabelle’s reaction to Victor’s
death is the fact that she will not be able to see him again and
leaving her all alone. Currently, 24% of Americans over 65 are
widowed and a full third of all older adults live alone (Lopez,
Ramos & Kim, 2018). Isabelle is seeking comfort and security
from her children. However, her children have their own lives,
therefore, is contemplating asking her son Paul to let her move
in with his family (Broderick & Blewit, 2015). She doesn’t want
to be alone anymore because she is unable to concentrate on

2. anything she is doing.
Paul who is the oldest has the responsibility to take care of his
family. The factor driving Paul’s reaction to his dad’s death is
that he is too overwhelmed with other things such as his
business and his own family. He doesn’t have the time to take a
breath because he has been busy a lot lately. Yes, his father dies
but, I think that reality hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Once he
realizes that his father is not there, it will hit him. Right now,
his mind is somewhere else. Sophia wants to believe that her
mother is still the same vibrant person she has always known,
so she discounts the sadness (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). The
factor driving Sophia’s reaction to her father’s death is that she
accepts it. He was fighting a battle with cancer and
unfortunately, cancer won. The factor driving Lenore’s reaction
is the same as Sophia’s. However, Lenore avoids her mother’s
phone call because she doesn’t want to hear the sadness in her
mother’s voice and the troubles, she is facing each day living
without her husband. The difficulties in communication
regarding loss are often compounded by efforts among family
members to protect each other from unpleasantness or pain
(Safonte-Strumolo, & Dunn, 2000). With Lenore, it seems that
she too has accepted her father’s death. Both her and Sophia
seem to be handling the situation very well except when it
comes to their brother Joseph. During their father’s stay in the
hospital, their mother specifically told the doctor that she did
not want to have him revived because that was his wishes.
However, since it wasn’t on paper it didn’t matter so Joseph and
his uncle told the doctor to do what it takes to keep their
father/brother alive. So, they inserted a ventilator. This caused a
lot of tension amongst Sophia, Lenore, and Joseph. Since then
the girls have not spoken to Joseph. As for Joseph, he seems to
be having difficulties coming to terms with what happened. It
seems he is feeling some guilt for how he handled the situation
that brought on unnecessary suffering to his father.

3. Two healthy coping strategies
For families who have had a death in the family, they can go
through a number of emotions. As the manifestation of their
mourning, they may lose interest in the world, prefer to isolate
themselves from others, dwell on thoughts of the deceased, and
suffer from depression (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Individuals
cope with death in their own way, however, having healthy
strategies will help the family. Many Italian Americans have
tended to turn to the family for help in solving problems and not
toward available mental health services (Safonte-Strumolo, &
Dunn, 2000). Therefore, it is important to take into
consideration the types of coping strategies that are being used.
Therapists, regardless of their own cultural background, should
constantly find ways to reinforce a family’s problem-solving
abilities (Safonte-Strumolo, & Dunn, 2000). Another strategy is
having Isabelle and the children go to the cemetery on a
particular day of each month. Although this might be difficult
for them, they were reassured that they could draw extra
strength from each other, thus reinforcing the value of family
unity and support (Safonte-Strumolo, & Dunn, 2000). After all
Italian-American families are all about supporting the family.
References
Umberson, D., & Chen, M. D. (1994). Effects of a Parent’s
Death on Adult Children: Relationship Salience and Reaction to
Loss.
American Sociological Review
,
59
(1), 152–168. https://doi-
org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.2307/2096138
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). Gains and Losses in Late
Adulthood.

4. The life span: Human development for helping professionals
(4th ed.) (pp. 556-596). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education.
Safonte-Strumolo, N., & Dunn, A. B. (2000). Consideration of
Cultural and Relational Issues in Bereavement: The Case of an
Italian American Family.
The Family Journal
,
8
(4), 334–340. https://doi.org/
10.1177/1066480700084002
Lopez, F. G., Ramos, K., & Kim, M. (2018). Development and
initial validation of a measure of attachment security in late
adulthood.
Psychological Assessment
,
30
(9), 1214–1225.
https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1037/pas0000568
(C.R)
Peer Response Two
Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things to deal with;
even when one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the sadness
that comes with the loss of a loved one is something that is
undeniably painful. Sometimes, the grief of losing someone is
too much to handle on your own and one might seek out
counseling as a way to learn to cope. According to Broderick &

5. Blewitt (2015), helping professionals should be knowledgeable
in the area of grief and be able to recognize that grief comes in
many forms and expressions of mourning can vary between
cultures.
Reaction to Terminal Illness and Death
Each member of Victor’s family is dealing with his death in
different ways, which is to be expected. Unfortunately, Victor’s
wife, Isabelle, is having the most difficult time coping with the
loss of her beloved husband (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).
Isabelle had to leave her job at a department store because she
had a hard time concentrating while on the clock; furthermore,
Isabelle is contemplating asking Paul, her eldest son, if she can
move in with his family because living alone is too much to
bear (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). It appears that Isabelle is
experiencing depression due to Victor’s death; she has
overwhelming feelings that she is at the end of her life and will
be like the other lonely widows she knows (Broderick &
Blewitt, 2015). Isabelle could benefit from Behavioral Therapy
for Depression which would allow her to improve her mood by
engaging in “mood-enhancing experiences” (Broderick &
Blewitt, 2015).
Unfortunately, the children’s relationships with one another
have been negatively impacted by their father’s death
(Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Paul is feeling overwhelmed by
the responsibilities that seem to be falling on him because he is
the oldest of the children; the daughters are not speaking to
their brother Joseph, or his wife; in addition, Victor’s death is
causing strain on Joseph’s marriage because his wife feels that
he has grieved enough and they need to move on with their life
(Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Lenore avoids talking to her
mother because she is tired of hearing the same things over and
over; Sophia tries to be there for her mother, but it saddens her
to hear her mother constantly reminiscing on her father

6. (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). The children are all experiencing
the grief of their father in different ways. For example, Lenore
and Sophia are displaying anger and avoidance toward Joseph
because they did not agree with the final decisions made about
Victor’s care (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). Lenore is also
avoiding talking to her mother, and although Sophia is trying to
stay connected to her mother, she is experiencing trouble
(Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).
Isabelle and each of the children are experiencing and handling
the death of Victor in different ways. One reason the family is
potentially at odds right now surrounds the idea of end-of-life
care; the idea of end-of-life care includes 11 principles that are
related to the responsibilities of those that provide end-of-life
care to patients and the patients’ family (Broderick & Blewitt,
2015). The argument while Victor was still alive was whether or
not to take the necessary measures to save his life; this relates
to the core principle of “being sensitive and respectful of the
patient’s and family’s wishes” (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). The
family was divided in this decision and it created tension within
the family that still has not been addressed.
Healthy Coping Skills
Coping with the loss of a loved one is likely one of the hardest
things that individuals can experience (APA, 2019). According
to the APA (2019), one healthy way to cope with the death of a
loved one is to talk about the loss; by talking about the loss you
are refraining from avoiding the reality of the situation and this
is a way to let your friends and family understand what you are
going through. We know that talk therapy is very effective in
coping with negative situations and this is a time when an
individual could greatly benefit from talking. In addition,
talking about your feelings will allow you to accept your
feelings about the loss of your loved one and will provide a
healthy outlet for all of the emotions that result from such an

7. experience. A second healthy coping skill that can be utilized
after the death of a loved one is to remember and celebrate their
life and time on Earth (APA, 2019). Some examples of
celebrating their life include donating to a charity they felt
passionate about, framing pictures of good memories with the
loved one, or even passing on the loved one’s name to a new
member of the family (APA, 2019). If the bereavement process
is too much to handle on your own, or the coping strategies
mentioned above to not help, it might be necessary to inquire
about grief counseling. Grief counseling can be done in a group
setting or in a one-on-one session in which a trained mental
health professional helps an individual work through their grief
related to the loss of a loved one (Psychology Today, 2019).
Summary
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is one of the most painful
experiences that one can go through. It is something that never
gets easier, no matter how many loved ones you lose. Everyone
copes with this differently, and each person goes through the
stages of grief in different ways. Although culture and religion
play a role in the process of grief some of the best ways to work
through these emotions related to loss is to employ healthy
coping strategies and to allow yourself to work through your
emotions. As we know, keeping emotions bottled up is not a
healthy way to cope and can have a negative impact on an
individual.
References
American Psychological Association. (2019). Grief: Coping
with the loss of your loved one. Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/grief
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015).

8. The life span: Human development for helping professionals
(4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Psychology Today. (2019). Bereavement. Retrieved from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/bereavement