Grief Support

Grieving often begins soon after receiving the diagnosis of a life-limiting or terminal illness.

As part of the preparatory grief process, patients grieve for the changes that are taking place within their own body, for the loss of the ability to do the things they love, and for the shortened time they have with those they care about. Pain and loss are normal parts of life, and grieving is a healthy way of taking care of ourselves.

As part of anticipatory grief, people grieve not only for what they see happening to their loved one but also for the feelings of loss they are already beginning to experience.

Grief is natural. It is our human response to change or loss, and it can be painful. Each person experiences grief differently. Sometimes you don’t know why you feel empty, hurt, or sad, but it can help just to say the feeling out loud and to allow yourself to feel it.

Grieving persons have the right and responsibility to do their grief work in their own way, to interpret their loss, to make the right choices for themselves, and to determine the quality and direction of their lives moving forward.

Grief can have a direct and sometimes adverse effect on job performance, interpersonal relationships, and personal well-being. It is an on-going process that is not completed within a specific timetable. Because of this, our grief care is extended to family members and other significant persons both before and after the death of a hospice patient.

The goal of grief counseling is to help cultivate a safe and healing environment for people who are adjusting to a significant loss in their lives. For grief counseling initiated after the death of a loved one, the goal is to enable survivors to discover, and perhaps rediscover, their own support networks and inner resources to continue integrating their loss into a meaningful positive future.