Grief Support
Grieving is not forgetting. It is the process of remembering the importance of the person we lost with a sense of peace and allowing our hearts to open up again to others in our lives that need and deserve our encouragement, our compassion, our care and love.
Hospice of Stanly & the Uwharrie’s bereavement support to families begins with the first patient encounter. Our team members become extended members of our patient’s family early on. This enables us to be a stronger support system for the family as the illness progresses. Our patients are comforted in knowing we will be there to care for their families as they transition to life after loss.
Our professional grief counselors are there to support families in the emotional days before and after loss. We have become recognized as the primary community resource on grief counseling and bereavement by offering community support groups, grief camps for children and teens, and individual counseling sessions to those adjusting to life after loss. Care for the family continues for a year following their loved one’s passing, making Hospice of Stanly’s services unique in our community.
Hospice of Stanly & the Uwharrie aims to make life easier for you. To learn more, please contact Michaele Connors or Janna Spurr, our bereavement coordinators, at 704-983-4216 or 800-230-4236.
Support Groups
Bereavement support groups offer participants a safe, caring environment where they can work toward healthful healing. Community groups are offered free of charge to anyone in our area who has experienced the loss of a loved one.
Support groups meet monthly throughout the year, and include groups for parents who have lost a child; groups for those who have lost a spouse; groups designed to give you ideas for coping with holidays, birthdays or other signal events. We also offer a 4-week Healing Grief Series.
Joining in a support group can help you understand–and hopefully come to terms with–the grief process that we all have to work through at times of great loss. These programs can connect you with others experiencing similar losses; you will learn that your feelings of grief are normal. As you give and receive support, we hope you will find continued meaning in life.
One of our support group participants confirmed this by saying, “Being able to share my grief with others has given me hope that my life will get better.”
Camp Forget-Me-Not
Hospice of Stanly & the Uwharrie’s Camp Forget-Me-Not is an intimate, two-day camping experience for children ages 6-17 who have lost a loved one. Combining fun, friendship and professional grief counseling for children, the camp is available to anyone in our service area and it is free.
Registration forms can be downloaded here, or call Janna Spurr at 704-983-4216 or 800-230-4236.
Candlelight Memorial
Hospice of Stanly & the Uwharrie’s candlelight memorial service provides an opportunity for families to reconnect with members of the hospice team who were privileged to serve them as their loved ones came to the end of life’s journey.
The message of hope is gradually illuminated as the flame is passed from family to family and individual candles are lit in memory of lost loved ones. The soft glow of the candles makes a warm analogy for families realizing that hope does return gradually to those who are grieving even though their lives are forever changed by loss.
Hospice of Stanly & the Uwharrie remains committed to helping bereaved families heal from their loss and find hope for the future. It is our privilege and blessing to serve these families and walk the path of grief together.
