When a loved one passes, the grief you feel might not appear how or when you’d expect. Sometimes it sets in weeks or months later. Sometimes it presents as anger, sometimes isolation. At Ardent Hospice & Palliative Care, we’ve seen and helped so many families go through the grieving process, and as important as it was for us to take care of your loved one as they approached their end of life, it’s just as important that we’re there for you once their journey has ended.
Our team—especially our social workers and spiritual counselors—make it a priority to still be a part of your family’s lives after your loved one passes. We realize that, because everyone grieves differently, our approach to helping you cope with your loss needs to be tailored to something that is meaningful for you and your family.
As a hospice, we’re required to provide bereavement services for 14 months after a patient passes, but we are always here to support families for as long as they need us beyond that time. We want you to know that you’re a part of our Ardent family, and you can lean on us for support. Here are 10 ways to count on our team as you deal with the loss of your loved one.
1. Grief support group
We host ongoing support groups for families who are experiencing grief. Each of our locations has different meeting times and frequencies, but they all offer an opportunity to open up and work through the stages of grief with guidance from our spiritual counselor and social worker. You’re welcome to come even if you don’t feel like talking or opening up just yet. We find that the grieving process is easier to walk through when you have others to go alongside you.
2. Spiritual counseling
Aside from moderating support groups, our spiritual counselor can offer you and your family one-on-one guidance. We never push our families toward a specific religion, but we can help you navigate your beliefs during this difficult time. Our spiritual counselor can set you up with support groups or counseling at local churches as well.
3. Referrals for outside support
There are so many resources outside of Ardent, within the larger community, that can help you in the bereavement process. We can help you find a support group that fits your specific circumstance; for instance, there are groups for spouses in different age ranges and groups for families who lost their loved one to certain diseases. If you find that you want additional support outside what we offer, you can let anyone on our team know, and we’ll get you more information on meetings and groups that gather in your area.
4. Regular check-ins
We know that it takes some time to fully deal with the loss of a loved one; that’s why our spiritual counselor and social worker make it a point to keep checking in with you and your family for as long as you need. Many of our families have told us they don’t realize how much of a blessing it is to be able to talk about their loved one in an open and honest way—without the need of putting on a brave face.
5. Administrative support
When someone is at their end of life journey, there are several logistical and legal elements to take care of. Our social worker can answer your questions about memorials and burial plans, estates, life insurance, and inheritance. They can also connect you with other resources to help you navigate the process and take the burden of the administrative side of care off your family’s shoulders.
6. Children’s camps
In partnership with No One Should Die Alone, we’re able to offer bereavement camps and retreats. These are supportive environments to deal with grief that are especially beneficial to young children and adolescents. These retreats put kids in a more relaxed setting where they can open up, meet peers who have experienced similar losses, and begin to heal on their own terms.
7. Volunteer opportunities
Sometimes the best way to heal or overcome grief is through giving back and volunteering. Focusing your attention on others and getting involved in something larger and outside of yourself can sometimes pull you out of your sadness—even if it’s just for a couple of hours. Ardent offers volunteer opportunities within our organization, and we can also set you up with other local charities that are meaningful to your family.
8. Therapy events
We try to offer a variety of specialized and unique therapy events throughout the year to help you meet with other families who are dealing with grief as well. For instance, we hold art therapy events that are designed to give you space to open up about what you’re going through and release your emotions through painting.
9. Books and resources
Ardent is able to offer your family access to a resource library of books, articles, Bible verses, educational materials, videos, and music to help you cope with your grief on your own terms at your own pace. These allow you to cope on a personal level, in the comfort of your own space.
10. Ongoing relationships
Most importantly, we offer your family an ongoing relationship of support and companionship. We want you to know that we’re still here for you and still care for you. Our team built a relationship with your loved one as well, and we also feel a sense of loss after they pass. Allowing us to be involved with you and your family, even after your loved one passes, is something that’s important to us.
Our bereavement support is here to meet your family’s needs in any capacity we can help you. For more information on our hospice services and bereavement support, visit us online or call us at 559-408-5945.
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