Grief Support for the Holidays

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The holidays are just around the corner, but for many families, this year will be different, because someone they love is gone. Angela Hospice knows the holidays are an especially difficult time for people who are grieving, but our special donor-funded workshops can offer help and support for adults and children.

"During the Christmas season it's really, really hard for a child to grieve," said Debbie Vallandingham, a bereavement social worker at Angela Hospice. Debbie will lead the Children’s Holiday Workshop on Sunday, December 2, from 2-4 p.m. She said parents often want to shield their children from grief, but that can actually make it harder for children to grieve. The workshop helps to open up communication as the children work to make a holiday wreath in memory of their loved one.

Social Worker Debbie Vallandingham (right) and therapy
dog Piper with the Richards family.
"What it allows the parent and the child to do is come together in an atmosphere where they can bring up memories, and talk, and actually work on a specific project that's going to memorialize that person throughout the holiday season," Debbie said. "It draws together the adults and the children...so the kids can start letting the grownups know that it's OK to talk about the person that was lost."

For adults, navigating the holiday season while grieving can seem overwhelming. While children want the normalcy of the holidays, there's a tendency for adults to want to avoid the holidays. Our "Getting Through the Holidays" workshop for adults seeks to offer practical tips and suggestions on how to make the holidays easier, while maintaining self-care. The workshop will be offered at twice on Tuesday, November 13, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

These workshops are free and take place at Angela Hospice. Call Debbie Vallandingham at (734) 464-2683 to register for the Children's Workshop, as space is limited. For more about the adult workshop, or for information about Angela Hospice's free grief support groups and counseling, call Margaret Levine at (734) 779-6690.

Angela Hospice's grief support services are available free of charge for anyone in the community thanks to the generosity of our compassionate donors.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 28, 2019 at 9:19 AM

    My sweet Mom passed away 1 week ago today on Feb 21, 2019. She lived with me and my husband. Due to my declining health, she was here to help me out. She was really the sweetest most generous woman. It is a privilege to be able to call her Mom. She passed so unexpectedly and suddenly, I am completely lost without her. The thought of living without her seems unbearable. How do I go on each day without this sweet, beautiful woman with a heart of gold. I am so lost without her.

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