Support

Losing someone you love can be painful, often leaving us to experience difficult and surprising emotions. Although there is no right or wrong way to grieve, there are ways to cope with pain that, in time, will allow you to move on. Community Hospice Grief Support staff come alongside those who have lost a loved one by providing education, support and resources. Our specialists are available to assist with all stages of grief and support. Groups are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Our goal is to:

  • Increase understanding of the grief process and recognize the normal manifestations, experiences and feelings of grief
  • Recognize, express and accept emotional pain, including: sadness, anger, guilt, depression, anxiety, loneliness and hopelessness
  • Develop a support system
  • Recognize signs of healing
  • Accept the reality and irreversibility of the death of our loved one
  • Develop a realistic memory of our deceased, remembering the life shared, not primarily the death
  • Recognize our own strengths and weaknesses and seek additional support or therapy as needed
  • Reinvest ourselves in life by establishing new or renewed relationships and interests

At Community Hospice we recognize the importance of the social-cultural settings of the patients, families and community members we serve. We understand the need to develop cultural competencies as an individual’s grief process.

Common Symptoms of Grief

Loss affects people in many different ways. It is common to experience the following symptoms when grieving.

Anger • Disbelief • Fear • Guilt • Physical Symptoms • Sadness • Shock

Bereavement Services are available to anyone in the community that has experienced the loss of a loved one. Services include:

Caregiver Support • Crisis grief assistance for organizations and schools • Community resources • Educational workshops • Family/Individual grief support • Grief support groups • Mailings and grief related topics • Resource library • Telephone Support


SUPPORT GROUPS

All Community Hospice support groups are facilitated by trained hospice staff members and volunteers.

Bereaved Parents/Infant Loss

For those who have experienced a loss of a child, loss due to miscarriage, SIDS, stillbirth.

Caregiver Support

For persons providing support, care and/or assistance to individuals who are disabled, or need help with activities of daily living.

General Grief

Loss of significant other, friend or family member other than spouse.

Loss of a spouse

Loss of husband or wife

Sudden loss/Suicide

Ongoing group

Pet Loss

For those who have experienced the loss of a pet or impending death of a pet

Anticipatory Grief

Community Hospice also offers grief support for anticipatory grief. Anticipatory grief can be similar to grief after death, but is unique in many ways. Grief before death often involves more anger, more loss of emotional control, and atypical grief responses. This may be related to the difficult place people find themselves in when a loved one is dying.

For those who are dying, anticipatory grief provides an opportunity for personal growth at the end of life, a way to find meaning and closure. For families, this period is also an opportunity to find closure, to reconcile differences and give and grant forgiveness. For both, it is a chance to say goodbye.

If you or someone you know is interested in attending a support group or have any questions, please contact the Community Hospice Bereavement Department at 209.578.6300 or complete the form below.

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