The sense of an ending: How grief counsellors are helping the kin of Ahmedabad air crash victims cope with loss | Ahmedabad News
Waiting outside the Kasauti Bhavan at BJ Medical College and Hospital, a senior citizen breaks down. He is repeatedly wailing, insisting to see the “bodies”. The man has lost his son, daughter-in-law, and a toddler granddaughter. He is inconsolable as he remembers a recent happy occasion – his granddaughter’s recent birthday celebration. A woman rushes to his aid, consoling him.
The woman is among the numerous grief counsellors who have been deployed to help the loved ones of the air crash victims make sense of the loss, as well as guide them through the DNA sampling procedure.
The counsellors have been deployed at three locations — Kasauti Bhavan, the D2 block near Medical Superintendent’s office where a help desk has been set up for the families, and the post-mortem building. The Kasauti Bhavan, where the process of sample collection is being carried out, has been the most difficult for the families, and has witnessed the maximum outburst, said an assistant professor at the psychiatry department of the hospital.
“Since all this is unexpected for everyone, they are in deep shock. Because they are going through this entirely new procedure of DNA sampling, we ensure a psychologist is with them throughout the hospital campus. During the waiting time, a team from the department is there to reassure them, provide them with water, medical help, make them understand the procedure of DNA sampling, facilitate them…” one of the grief counsellors told The Indian Express on Monday.
Since many families have lost more than one of their family members, the grief is immense. “Grieving is a natural process, which the families have to go through. It is expected from these families to grieve which, in a way, will help them deal with the loss. We are allowing them to express themselves. Otherwise, it can later affect them psychologically,” Dr Nisha Prajapati, the nodal officer for the counselling of passengers’ families, told The Indian Express.
Initially, these counsellors, whose exact number is not known, were working in 14-hour shifts. This has now been reduced to 12 hours.
“Also, the psychological experts are offering medical help to some who are either patients of hypertension or other ailments as they miss their routine medicine under such a trauma,” one of the team members said.
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Another thing that the counsellors are helping the patients deal with is guilt.
“Many of the passengers had come for a short trip, either for some work or family function. This has led to the families holding themselves responsible for the loss and going into guilt mode. For instance, many are saying had they not insisted or planned the trip, their loved ones would still have been alive…,” Dr Prajapati said.
