Bereavement Care Research

Aching Arms has three aims. The first is focused on offering support, the second on training and education and the third, in the words of the charity’s constitution, is to:

Support and promote research into baby loss and the methods of alleviating suffering arising from baby loss and to disseminate the results of such research.

Aching Arms’ innovative approach to baby loss has been established through the: 

• Offer of an Aching Arms bear -  given as a gift from one bereaved family to another to let bereaved parents know they are not alone;
• Health Professional Training - on how to offer an Aching Arms bear sensitively and gain a greater insight into the experience of parents whose babies have died;
• Supporting Arms service - run by bereaved parents who give you the time and space to talk about the loss of your baby and the impact it has had on you;
• Be Together Programme - for bereaved families to meet and relax with other bereaved families and friends in a range of indoor and outdoor activities;
• Bereavement Workplace Training - structured around Acknowledge, Understand and Support to help bereaved parents return to work.

If Aching Arms is to maintain its innovative approach, it needs to keep up to date on current bereavement research and any potential impact that could have on changing practice in bereavement care and support.

How does Aching Arms do that? 

Strengthening - relationships with bereavement care charities in the UK and across the world through the International Stillbirth Alliance.

Informing – providing summaries on:

• Research studies supported by Aching Arms:
• Existing studies supported by other charities:
• Varying approaches to bereavement care in different cultures, faith traditions and countries.

Promoting - by using Aching Arms national and international connections to recommend changes in bereavement care.

Read about the latest Research Studies that Aching Arms is involved with below: