MOHAN Foundation hosted a Masterclass on Grief Counselling - 'The Healing Touch' on November 4 & 5, 2023 at MOHAN Foundation, Chennai. 12 participants from Chennai, Erode, Coimbatore and Mumbai attended the Masterclass, which was supported by SBI Foundation.

It is paramount that the families of potential organ donors view organ donation as part of end-of-life care and they are provided with adequate information to make informed choices about organ donation. This masterclass aimed to help the learners to understand conversations with grieving families, to equip them with the necessary skill sets to offer the option of organ donation with sensitivity and empathy, and to address the unique challenges faced within the context of organ donation and transplantation.

The masterclass included the following lectures

• Breaking bad news - Dr. K Sudeep Kumar, Pediatric intensivist, Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital
• Approaching families for organ donation - Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram, Country Director, MOHAN Foundation
• Deceased Organ Donation Process - Mr. Kishore D, Multi - Organ Transplant Coordinator, MGM Healthcare               
• Coordinating MLC cases - Mr. A Johnson, Senior Manager - Transplant, Apollo Hospitals
• Difficult donations - Counselling challenges - Mr. S Senthil Kumar, Grief Counsellor, Government Stanley Medical Hospital
• Counselling potential donor and caregivers in living donation - Mr. J Nethaji, Chair - Academic Committee, IATC
• Deceased organ donation - Legal framework - Ms. Sujatha Suriyamoorthi, Associate Director, Courses, MOHAN Foundation

The masterclass featured a variety of engaging activities, such as:

• Role-playing scenarios for counseling grieving families - Simulated interactions with individuals who experience the loss of a loved one which allowed to practice realistic and constructive conversations in handling emotional and delicate conversations
• Exploring the pathway of deceased organ donation - Emphasized the step-by-step process to ensure a seamless and successful organ donation
• Quiz on coordinating medico-legal cases - An interactive quiz activity centered around the coordination of medico-legal cases and designed to enhance participants' understanding of the complexities and nuances of coordinating medico-legal cases
• Frequently asked questions - Addressing these questions effectively helps ensure that recipients, donors, and caregivers are well-informed and feel more comfortable with the decision-making process and the journey ahead. The participants were given an opportunity to handle these questions under the guidance of the faculty.
• Team-building exercises - Activity addressed fostering collaboration and effective communication among participants

FEEDBACK

“All the penny paid was worthy because everyone was so engaging and knowledgeable. Would hats off all the effort put by the MOHAN FOUNDATION was worthy and made me satisfied.”

- Dhamayanthi R, Transplant coordinator, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Vanagaram

“Team building exercises, role play gave new insight. Sessions on tackling the practical situation in a hospital and handling living donor transplant opened up myriad of possibilities and responsibilities.”

- Ms. Poonam Sharma, MOHAN Foundation