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Bereavement ProgramsGrief is like a wave on the beach… It comes and goes with the changing tide. Sometimes the swells are so high you can hardly keep afloat. Other times the undertow will knock you off your feet no matter how hard you fight it. With help from those who understand, each new day gets you closer the new “normal” you are trying to adjust your life to. Pathways provide a variety of bereavement services to you and your community. Journeys: Thursday afternoon at the Cerritos Senior Center, a 69 year-old woman weeps as she tells the group, seated around the table, that she doesn’t know how she will go on without her husband of 48 years. “Am I losing my mind? Or does it just been that way?” She asks the Journeys group that meets every other week. An ongoing support group providing opportunities for bereaved adults to meet others and interact regarding some of the significant issues of bereavement. Groups are for grief education and support, providing some "content" as well as time for sharing in discussion. Contact Pathways office for further information. Changes: It’s Monday morning. Our Bereavement Coordinator and Executive Director are sitting across the desk from 12 year-old Sarah at Bancroft Middle School in Long Beach. The counselor has called Pathways to assess a group of teenagers for Changes our grief education program for children and teens. Sarah and a number of other students are mourning the death of two classmates who have died in a car accident on their way to school, just the Friday before. Sarah is fidgeting and staring at the desk. She is on the verge of tears and clearly shaken. The entire campus is rocked by the death of this 6th grade girl and her 8th grade brother. Two programs are available for children who are experiencing a loss through death. One program is designed to meet the needs of parents and children together and the second is a grief education program which is provided through the middle and high school settings. Both groups are facilitated with trained volunteers in bereavement and grief techniques, i.e., arts, crafts and storytelling. POP's (Parents of Preschoolers): Periodic three-hour training seminar for parents who have preschoolers facing a death in the family or coping with grief. Topics for discussion at each of the seminars include: understanding preschooler's perspectives on death, communicating with preschool children about grief, creating space and structure for grieving preschoolers, and responding to behavior and attitude changes. Open to parents, teachers or other caregivers. Individual follow-up: It’s been almost a year since Jo Ann’s husband died. One of the things she attributes most to helping her through the past 11 months has been the regular Individual follow-up from the Pathways volunteer. Offered to family members of all patients receiving any kind of service from Pathways, regardless of other medical plans (such as Kaiser Permanente or Quality Continuum) and without regard to time patient was under our care. This follow-up is provided by the bereavement coordinator or one of a group of trained volunteers, and includes telephone calls, home visits, and informal notes or card. Individual Counseling: Pathways Hospice has no provision for seeing people for grief therapy, though we can refer interested parties to qualified professionals. Our bereavement coordinator and bereavement staff will sometimes see individuals on a limited basis by appointment. Professional Training And Consultation: A variety of programs for in-service continuing education, especially targeted to school faculty, church leaders, and others helping professionals called on to help the dying or grieving. Resource Center: Pathways makes available for loan a growing collection of books and videos on issues related to dying, death, and grief. Included in the collection are resources specifically for children and teenager. In addition, pamphlets, booklets, articles, and other resources are available and may be picked up at the office or mailed. |