ONE-TO-ONE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT
“It’s one of those things where you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Bereavement support. That’s what this family member is talking about. When her husband died, she thought she’d cry at home, head out and get things done, rinse and repeat. It was a busy time taking care of his estate. Now, months later, the stress is finally less. She has competently managed. But she is discovering that there is more. She can fall asleep but cannot stay asleep. She sees him in strange places. She's developed headaches and her sons look away when she cries for no reason. It's been a long time since she felt like "herself."
That’s where James Reid Funeral Home comes in with Bereavement Support, a complimentary service you activate with a simple phone call or email when you are ready. It’s not articles online. It’s not a monthly mailing. It’s a relationship built with a Bereavement Support Provider through monthly phone calls or visits for a year after the service (or for six hour-long sessions for self-referrals from the community). It’s a safe place to learn what you don’t know you don’t know about the grief process. With a listening ear, it’s exploring the ways you may be feeling you are going crazy, and finding assurance that you’re not.
It’s also finding a grieving community. James Reid Funeral Home leads a monthly discussion series, "The Examined Life" about death, dying, and grief, and we lead spring and fall 'Walking Through Grief' Groups, co-hosted by Hospice Kingston, at Lemoine Point. Everyone is welcomed by the Support Providers and by peers for whom Bereavement Support is breaking out of the default isolation. It’s the chance to sit, walk, share and listen with others who are there too.
As this family member speaks with James Reid Funeral Home Bereavement Support, she is exploring her natural response to an unwelcomed event. She is sharing a vocabulary of grief that is a precious commodity for her. Self-understanding and clarity about her responses increase her all-over health. James Reid Funeral Home continues relationship with family members and contributes to the greater community through supporting bereaved people after a death.
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