Guide to help gay couples cope with bereavement
RTE star Marian Finucane and fashion designer Richard Lewis lent their support last night to the launch of a new guide on bereavement for same-sex couples.
The 'Lesbian and Gay Bereavement Guide' aims to create recognition of the additional stresses and worries faced by gay couples as they cope with the loss of a partner. "Many lesbian and gay couples in committed lifelong relationships have the support of family and friends. Others, however, do not enjoy the same support or acceptance and their relationship may be hidden or invisible to others. When death occurs there can be a huge difference in how the bereaved person is treated," said Odhran Allen of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN).
Dr Susan Delaney of the Irish Hospice Foundation, which co-wrote the guide with GLEN, said a recent study on the grief of same sex couples found health-care professionals can intentionally and unintentionally "reinforce the invisibility of the bereaved or gay person".
Irish Independent
