Bereavement Support and Share Group for Recent Loss Starting in September at the Beth Donovan Hospice
Grief is a natural and universal response to the loss of a loved one. Reactions to loss are called grief reactions and vary from person to person and within the same person over time. A newly grieving person may experience a range of feelings, including shock, numbness, sadness, denial, anger, guilt, helplessness, depression, and yearning. We are sometimes surprised to find that grief can cause physical sensations like tightness and heaviness in the chest or throat, nausea or stomach upset, dizziness, headaches, numbness, muscle weakness, tension, or fatigue. Difficulty sleeping, loss of interest in daily activities, and sudden “grief bursts” are normal, but can certainly be an uncomfortable part of the grief journey.
Though grief can feel very isolating, you do not have to grieve alone. Beginning in September, the Beth Donovan Hospice will be offering a monthly support group free of charge to individuals who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one. Grief is not a club anyone wants to belong to; once you’re in it though, there is a great benefit in surrounding yourself with other members. Sometimes it is a comfort to find that other people have experiences, feelings, and struggles that are similar to your own. Sometimes it is helpful to hear how others are finding their way through it.
Facilitated by trained bereavement support volunteers, this group will meet once a month for six months to acknowledge, share and mourn our losses in community. We will also seek to reflect upon this “new normal”, reconstruct meaning, and explore various strategies and tools for self care and healing as we navigate the healing process. Please know this group takes place within a safe space where confidentiality is expected to be upheld by all who attend.
The bereavement Support and Share group will meet at 5:30 pm on the second Wednesday of each month, September through February. Registration is required. For more information please visit our website at www.bethdonovanhospice.ca or call us at 613-258-9611.
