Grief & Bereavement
Family Comment:
"Thank you all so very much. May God bless each one of your staff."
When a death occurs, family members experience grief and mourn the loss of a loved one. They enter a period of bereavement and experience many different emotions of grief in the process of grieving. In some cultures they observe a special time of mourning.
When a terminally ill person is dying, family members and friends begin a journey through the process of grief. The grief process, which is a process of letting go and adjusting to a life that no longer includes the person who died, is similar to a dying person's process of adjusting to the reality that life is coming to an end.
Grieving is often a difficult process it is one full of challenges, set backs, disorientation, and sometimes painful emotions. As mourners go through the process of grief they may feel as if they are traveling through a frightening, unfamiliar, and unpredictable landscape, a landscape where the hills are too steep to climb, and the valleys too dark to walk. However, with time and grief work, mourners can successfully navigate their journey through grief. As they learn to integrate the new reality of a loved one's death, mourners begin to accommodate their grief. They begin to take up their lives once again.
The important thing to remember is that grief is not a contest. Each of us walks the journey in our own way. While most of us are able to accept our loss in our own way and at our own pace, there may be times when we need additional help. With the emotional support of friends and the hospice team, most family members can successfully navigate their journey through the process of grief.