Hospice Care of the Northwest’s bereavement program supports anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one, whether or not your loved one received care from our team. We are committed to offering thirteen (13) months of bereavement support following your loved one’s death, because we recognize that first anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays can be especially difficult. Hospice Care of the Northwest understands that each person copes with loss in their own ways and in that spirit we provide individualized support and resources that are unique to your own grief journey.
Change is inevitable, love is eternal.
A Few Things to Remember:
- Healing after loss is about embracing your thoughts and feelings, especially the difficult ones. Acceptance is an act of love that honors your relationship to the deceased.
- Healing after loss is about expression. Carol Crandle says, “You don’t heal from the loss of a loved one because time passes, you heal because of what you do with that time.”
- Healing after loss can be subtle. C.S. Lewis, after the painful loss of his wife, wrote in A Grief Observed: “There was no sudden, striking, and emotional transition. Like the warming of a room or the coming of daylight, when you first notice them, they have been going on for some time.”
- Healing after loss requires reaching out. “No one has it all together, but together we have it all.” Unknown
- You will heal after loss. Healing takes time. Be patient with yourself as you adjust to a “new normal” in your life without your loved one.
Physical, emotional, and spiritual symptoms of grief
We all respond to grief in unique ways. If your grief response is making daily life difficult for you or if the intensity of your symptom(s) have increased over time, please contact us for support.
- Intense sadness
- Social isolation
- Anxiety
- Feeling empty or numb
- Anger
- Fluctuation in weight
- Shock/Disbelief
- Shortness of breath
- Feeling guilt
- Confusion
- Sleep disturbances/unusual dreams
Community Resources
Our community offers a wide range of grief support groups and services that are focused to meet individual needs. Please contact us if you are interested in receiving resources for additional support and we can guide you to services that meet your specific needs and location.