Bereavement Services

Hospice & Palliative Care recognizes that the needs of family and friends do not end when their loved one dies. Grieving is an important emotional process for all those who suffer a loss. At no cost to the participants, hospice provides the following services for those who are grieving:

• Bereavement Correspondence Program
• One-to-One Counseling
• Bereavement Companions
• Adult Bereavement Support Groups
• Children's Bereavement Groups
• Interfaith Remembrance Service
• Camp Erin
• Community Education Programs
• Calendar of Programs

Bereavement Correspondence Program
Monthly mailings, which include information and inspirational thoughts about the experience of grieving are sent to family members and friends of those who have died. The program is designed to help people understand their feelings of grief and loss in the privacy of their own home. This correspondence is mailed on a monthly basis during the first year of bereavement. It is our hope that this information about the grief process will help guide families along the road to recovery.

One-to-One Counseling
Healing is often aided by sharing one's feelings and experience with a trained counselor. Hospice & Palliative Care provides a bereavement counselor to meet with family members or friends to offer support and guidance.

Bereavement Companions
Specially trained hospice bereavement volunteers are matched with a hospice family to provide emotional support. This is done through telephone calls for up to one year following the death of a loved one. If you are interested in meeting with a bereavement companion please call the hospice office.

Adult Bereavement Support Groups
The purpose of the bereavement support groups is to give family members and significant others an opportunity to learn more about the grief experience and to meet others who are also grieving. The groups are led by trained counselors. There is no charge to attend the groups and they are open to anyone in the community.

Children's Bereavement Groups
Hospice & Palliative Care offers support for children age 6 and older. These groups are for children who have experienced the death of a loved one. The groups are led by trained counselors. There is no charge to attend the groups and they are open to anyone in the community.

Interfaith Remembrance Service
Annually in November, Hospice & Palliative Care holds an interfaith remembrance service for all those in the surrounding community who wish to join us in the remembrance of their loved ones. Check back for 2009 dates.

Camp Erin
Camp Erin is a weekend bereavement camp for children ages 6 to 17 who have experienced the death of a loved one. The camp provides a safe, caring environment and offers fun recreational activities and supportive discussions to help children build trust, self-esteem and coping skills. Age appropriate groups provide an opportunity for children to interact with peers also dealing with the death of a loved one. Planned activities, discussions and remembrance ceremonies create a safe environment for sharing, having fun and making friends. Specially trained hospice staff and volunteers lead art therapy, recreational activities and grief workshops.
Camp Erin will take place June 26 - 28, 2009 at Camp Welch in Assonet, MA. The camp is provided free of charge for up to 50 children between the ages of 6 and 17. Funding for Camp Erin is provided by The Moyer Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by major league All-Star pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife Karen. For information on registration or to volunteer contact Christine McMichael, Hospice Care Manager at 1-888-423-8001.

Community Education Programs
Hospice staff are available to present workshops, in-services, or other educational opportunities for your organization, workplace, or community group. Please contact the Manager of Hospice & Palliative Care at 1-888-423-8001 for assistance in scheduling a speaker for your event.

• Grief Education
• Five Wishes/Advance Directives
• Coping with the Holidays
• Grief in the Workplace
• School-based workshops
• "Death and Dying"
• "Hospice & Palliative Care: A Community Resource"
• "Spirituality at end-of-life"
• "Gifts Differing: The Contributions of the Worlds' Religions to Our Understanding of Suffering, Death and Grief"
• "Spiritual Issues for the Dying and Their Caregivers"
• "Spirituality and Grief"
• "Special Challenges and Diverse Spiritual Practices in Spiritual Care"
• "The Art of Being a Healing Presence"
• "Dying Well: Making Wishes, Giving Gifts"
• "Elders' Grief or Grief in Later Life"
• "Living While We Grieve"
• "Pain and Symptom Management"
• "E. L. N. E. C. Training"

Calendar of Programs

January 2009	February 2009	March 2009	April 2009
May 2009	June 2009	July 2009	August 2009
September 2009	October 2009	November 2009	December 2009

January 2009

February 2009

March 2009

April 2009

May 2009

June 2009

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

October 2009

November 2009

December 2009