The New Normal After Bereavement — SCE Palliative Medicine MCQ
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Correct answer: A — You will find a new normal—grief doesn’t disappear but transforms and becomes part of your life story
Option A is correct. UK NHS bereavement guidance emphasises that grief does not resolve to a pre-loss 'normal', but gradually becomes less intense and more integrated into a person's life, creating a 'new normal'. This response is compassionate and honest—recognising the ongoing impact of loss, the transformation of grief, and the eventual restoration of meaning alongside it. Option B is misleading with an unrealistic timeline and assurance. Option D is fatalistic and at odds with evidence that people adapt over time. Option C wrongly pathologises and medicalises normal grief. Option E is inaccurate and risks stigmatising natural emotions. The chaplain’s role is to validate the patient’s experience and offer hope through realistic adaptation.
Reference: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/cancer/palliative-care