Palliative care for a patient is provided by an interdisciplinary team of health care professionals whose composition and roles may vary but whose goal is to provide whole person care. Traditional research and evidence-based practice is an exciting but very new development in palliative care. Therefore, research into the best practice in palliative care faces many unique challenges. Grief is a normal response to loss that involves processes and tasks at emotional, cognitive, and behavioral levels. The initial shock of learning of impending or actual loss necessitates creating a new relationship between the grieving person and the person (or object) of loss. Patient and family grieving processes can be aided by a wide variety of healthcare and community services.