the mother may be unaware of care she should receive to improve the outcome of subsequent pregnancies and this can be communicated as necessary through assistive hearing support. The FIMR interviewer can explain the need and refer the patient for any such care needed.


The FIMR team can also be an advocate for families who are deaf and hard of hearing. The team can take action to ensure the services and resources mandated by the ADA are actually available to deaf or hard-of-hearing childbearing families in their community. The team can also act to ensure that the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing families who have lost an infant are addressed, their questions are answered, and they are not alone in their time of grief and sorrow.


In summary, serving any patient community requires clear and appropriate communi- cations. Serving the patient who is deaf or hard of hearing is about communication. Important life-saving and emotional support are not possible unless the health provid- ers communicate information to the patient effectively. Assistive devices and assistive efforts permit patients and families who are deaf or hard of hearing to “hear.” However, hearing loss is not the same for any two individuals. What works for one person may not work for another. The varying degree of hearing loss among patients requires a broad array of available resources to effectively serve this special patient population. There is one common denominator. The deaf and hard-of-hearing patient population deserves the same quality of care as other patients.


CONCLUSION Voices from the Community provides a broad range of responses to the death of an infant and give the provider some insight into the family’s grief experience. The maternal interview gives the mother a voice for us to learn about her infant’s life and death. While Voices from the Community provides an overview of the traditions and explores general variations in grieving, it should not be used to predict how any individual would respond to loss. No bulletin, book, or article can prescribe an appropriate family intervention that is suitable for everyone. In practice, each family has its own unique customs and traditions. Also, an infant’s death affects each family member differently. It is essential to not generalize or ste- reotype using these brief summaries. Providers must take the time to identify and respond to the needs of each family rather than making blanket assumptions based solely on a general outline of cultural traditions. Moreover, providers are encouraged to learn about the various cultural groups in their communities and locate the local resources available to help them.


No bulletin, book, or article can prescribe an appropriate family intervention that is suitable for everyone. In practice, each family has its own unique customs and traditions.


It is evident that there are similarities and differences in the grieving process for families from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Diversity within any cultural group is also important to acknowledge. Broadly defined groups such as Arab Americans and African Americans encompass people of considerable diversity in nationality, religion, history, cul- ture, and politics. Chinese are the largest group of Asian Americans. They come from a vast country whose regions differ widely in history, politics, traditions, and dialects. Therefore, each identified actually consists of many groups with different backgrounds, cultures, beliefs,


VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY: CROSS CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS OF GRIEF AT THE LOSS OF AN INFANT 65


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