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LivingHealthGrief and bereavement support group in danger of being cancelled

Grief and bereavement support group in danger of being cancelled

Deadline extended to Thursday, October 20

Home Hospice North Lanark is offering a Grief and Bereavement Support Group to begin on Wednesday, October 26, and runs every Wednesday for 8 weeks from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church in Almonte.

We have not received sufficient registration, and we may have to cancel it, which would really be too bad! If you’re trying to decide whether or not something like this is right for you, here are some things to consider, in the words of some who have been helped.

This is a closed group. This means it will be the same people each week. At the first session, your facilitators will explain to you how the group will work, including a promise from everyone to maintain strict confidentiality. What usually happens is that the group become quite close. Each week, our facilitators will guide you through many of the different aspects of grief and bereavement, ranging from typical and not-so-typical reactions to grief, through how to move forward, family dynamics, finding meaning and of course self-care.

I’m too shy to go to a group like this. I’m just not a “group” person.

“I decided to give it a try, which was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It was a very soothing program with well-trained and compassionate leaders. There were just 5 [maximum number accepted is 8-10] of us in the gathering. No one was expected to participate if they were having an emotional flash back – but sit back and listen. We learned that we were all dealing with a lot of the same situations and feelings. Our leader had a very calming and knowledgeable disposition which helped relax us on our first gathering and this comforted us.”

I’m afraid it will just be a bunch of people talking in circles about their own sadness.

“At each meeting we were given great ideas and suggestions of how to deal with our loneliness and emotional pain. As we built a bond between us and became friends we felt free to express our most intimate feelings and emotions. There were plenty of tears shed during our open conversations — what a wonderful outlet.”

My grief is so specific…it’s not like anyone else’s. I don’t see how it could work.

“Each session had a focus and each of the participants had an opportunity to answer each question and/or topic. We also received some resources, which helped us to understand what we were going through as we grieved.”

“Each week the instructors got us talking about how we were doing and each of the participants had an opportunity to contribute. Over the course of eight weeks we got to know each other and we were always supportive of each other. We were ‘there’ for each other. I think that was the best part of being in the group.”

How can something like this possibly help? I find it so hard to talk about everything.

“After a while of being continually sad and a bit lost, I decided that I needed to change my attitude. I have always been a positive person with a positive attitude so I decided to deal with my grief and my new situation with a positive approach.”

“I vividly remember the first time I laughed again. It had been months. I almost wanted to cry as it had been so long. I wondered if I’d be a happy person again. Slowly I started to feel a bit better.”

“What helped me the most was the information shared by our instructors; talking about my experience, and the suggestions offered. At the end of the eight weeks, I wasn’t the same person. I was better prepared to deal with my grief.”

  • • •

Registration is required. To register, contact Emily, our Program Coordinator at 613-406-7020 or email emily@hhnl.ca.

Still not sure? We urge you to at least call Emily. Together you can decide if this is a good fit for you. We sincerely hope that we can get enough registrations to make this viable.

Please register/reach out by Thursday, October 20.

Our space is large enough to accommodate “COVID spacing.”

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