Hospice Foundation of America
E-Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 7
July 2005
Bereavement Programs for Children
- Hospice of Lancaster County
- Hospice of Southwest Michigan
- Calvary Hospital, New York City
- Fox Valley Hospice, Geneva, Illinois
- TAPS
- Hospice of the Upstate, South Carolina
Hospice of Lancaster County has a strong children's bereavement program that has been a part of our hospice agency for the past 12 years. We offer groups during the year at our center, in the schools, and in the spring a teen retreat and in the summer a children's camp (both overnight). It has been very successful and has grown over the years. For our school grief groups, we offer a 7-week curriculum led by a hospice bereavement counselor and we co-facilitate this with a school staff person. There are two versions of the curriculum, one for Elementary, one for Middle/High school. We also teach a course for the approved by the state for CEU's on how to work with bereaved children. Recently we've been expanding into the direction of Young Adults, and offered a Campus Grief Group this past spring and will be offering a Young Adult group this summer at our center (ages 18-24). We also wrote a booklet called The Teacher's Guide to the Grieving Student, which we sell nationally and use locally.
In my experience over the past several years, what we do with children and families is an area that many local donors are interested in supporting, and it also lends itself well to foundation grants which we have also received to help support it. In terms of concerns for the future of these, I have no concerns, only excitement as we continue to grow in this area. I'd be glad to provide more information or answer any other questions you may have.
Patti Homan, PhD, LPC, FT
Hospice of Lancaster County
phoman@hospiceoflancaster.org
The Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan has a twice-yearly program for children and teens and their adult caregivers. Our program is called "Journeys of Grief" and it is a 6-week educational support group for any children or teens grieving the death of a loved one. I would be more than happy to share information with others as needed if they are considering having such a program.
Thank you. Julie Waldron
Calvary Hospital in New York City sponsors its 9th annual children's bereavement day camp this summer at Sterling Forest, New York as the culmination of a 6-month counseling program. Over 37 children and 27 counselors will participate and another 30 children from the local community will assist in the planting of memorial trees at the camp. Sherry Schacter serves as Director of Bereavement and Linda Zarchin as Head Counselor.
At Fox Valley Hospice, a volunteer hospice in Geneva, Illinois, we offer both support groups for children and a bereavement camp. Our support groups are offered three times a year at various locations in our service area. We meet for eight weeks and the groups are closed after the second week. Although our Herbie’s Friends program is geared toward children between the ages of 4 and 18 who have suffered a death loss, the program is for families. Our children meet in age appropriate groups and the adults (parent, guardian) have their own group.
Our camp, Grief Takes a Hike, is also for families, over one weekend. Our campers meet at our office, board a luxury bus that takes them to camp in Wisconsin and begin to bond on the bus. Adults are housed in one building and children in another. We schedule both family and age-appropriate group times. I think that one of the successes of both programs is that they encompass the immediate family. Grief impacts the entire family. It is important for families to understand that. It is also important for family members to understand that they probably won’t grieve the same way or on the same “time table.” It is beneficial for the children to see their parent/guardian getting help with their grieving. It has also been a comfort for the adults to know that their children are being helped by facilitators that they have met and have access to weekly if needed.
As far as concerns for the future, we will need larger spaces for some of our groups as we have outgrown one of our facilities. We are continuously looking for fresh activities to use with both our children and adults to help them process their grief. We have identified a need for support for pre-school children. As we develop a program for these children we will need to develop an appropriate training program for our volunteers as well as appropriate activities for the children.
Judith Hanson, LSW
jhanson@foxvalleyhospice.net
TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) brings together children of all ages from around the world whose loved one died in service to our country. The Good Grief Camp for Young Survivors meets each Memorial Day, from Friday through Monday noon of that weekend. This includes youth whose loved ones died during the most recent battles in Iraq, suffered a heart attack while serving in the National Guard, were at the Pentagon at the time of the attack on September 11, or were killed in a car accident. Children are placed with a mentor, an Honor Guard, who will stay with the children and be a "shoulder" of support. The children learn how we, as a nation, honor those who have served and sacrificed, and they also learn coping skills for handling their own grief. They meet other children their own age, and gain a peer support network they can lean on throughout the year. Learn more on the TAPS Web site.
Three years ago I conceptualized and initiated a program: Circle of Life with Hospice of the Upstate in South Carolina. We consider change as a natural process, identifying these processes in our surroundings, involving participants in self-reflection, relating of personal stories and realization of individual coping skills including expressive arts and creativity. Monthly our children’s grief workshop “Expressing Ourselves” offers young people an opportunity to interact and relate to others dealing with grief. I facilitate the support group cosponsored through the Anderson County Arts Center and Hospice of the Upstate. The consensus is clear: sharing our stories and creating a tangible symbol of hope heals us! The parents and children’s letters and phone calls of appreciation and thanks are a constant stream of support, encouraging us to continue. We also offer collaboratively, with area hospices, our Camp Sunburst annual grief retreat for children and family members, a nourishing experience, promoting growth and healing! The most difficult task is to pay for these services as insurance and Medicaid do not require these services for families. We look to local agencies, private individuals and foundational grant proposal opportunities to fund our workshops. We are documenting the long-term benefits of those who participate, and generally they seem to be able to adapt and cope more effectively with change throughout life.
Heather Kline Schaffer M.Ed., N.C.C., L.P.C.I., C.H.T.
Hospice of the Upstate
hschaffer@hospicehouse.net
Go to the E-Newsletter Archives.
