Support for our patients and families is central to all we do at Suburban Hospice. We know those in our care go through dozens–maybe hundreds–of incremental losses as we move with our loved ones toward the end of their lives. We grieve what might have been, the plans we won’t get to fulfill together, the continuing comfort and connection of loving and affirming relationships, the bonds of friends and family. Our grief support for families and patients begins well before the loss and continues for more than a year (really as long as needed) after the loved one passes away.

Here is a brief look at the various ways we provide our hospice families and our community with grief support:

• We have a weekly, drop-in grief group in Greenfield, Indiana at the Hancock Wellness Center (every Friday morning from 10-11am);
• Our bereavement coordinators/chaplains are available to visit or talk by phone to provide one-on-one or family grief support;
• Several times a year we offer Yoga for Grief Relief, a six-week gentle yoga class for people who are grieving. Our most recent class began Tuesday, September 13 at the Hancock Wellness Center.
• We provide resources to help families better understand their loss and the process of grieving they are going through;
• We offer information on Mindfulness and Creative Imagery, both techniques that can lessen anxiety and help with the overwhelming emotions of grief; and
• We have memorial services in the winter and the spring to remember our loved ones and gather in their honor.

Let us know how we can be of help to you or those you love. Our grief groups and public classes (like Yoga for Grief Relief, Mindfulness, and Creative Imagery) are all open to everyone who is going through a time of loss. You don’t have to have been one of our hospice families to participate.

For more information, contact Katherine at kmurray [at] suburbanhospice[dot]org