Grief is a very normal reaction to the loss of a loved one. Just as no two people grieve in the same way, we as individuals often find that we grieve different losses throughout our lives in different ways.
At Hand In Hand Hospice, we want to offer you the support you may need as you navigate the months following a significant loss. Our Bereavement staff sends a series of grief mailings over the course of the first year following the death of a loved one. The mailings offer much education, reassurance, and insight into the grieving process. It is not at all uncommon for grievers to need grief counseling, and Hand In Hand Hospice has trained, experienced staff to provide individual grief support for all loved ones of those hospice patients we have served. In addition, we offer Grief Support Groups which are open to the public. When you’ve lost a loved one, things may never get back to normal, but our staff can help grievers process their emotions and develop healthy coping skills so that they can find a new normal.
If you live in Lyon, Coffey, Greenwood, Morris, Osage or Chase County, contact us to learn more about our bereavement services. There are also a variety of bereavement resources available online and locally to help you when you feel ready. Browse the links below or contact us if you would like additional information.
The Hospice Foundation
Find information about grief and access the “selected articles” section that provides more in-depth information on topics surrounding grief and grief management.
Grief Poetry
Sometimes our feelings can be difficult to express. Often the words of others can do a better job of expressing our feelings than we do ourselves. We encourage you to explore some of the feelings expressed through the poetry of other grievers.
Grief Support for Adults and Children
Suggested Readings for Those Who Are Grieving
Books for Adults:
The ABC’s of Healthy Grieving: Light for a Dark Journey by Harold Ivan Smith (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
One You Love Has Died: Ideas for How Your Grief Can Help You Heal by James E. Miller (this booklet is available free of charge from our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
My Friend, I Care: The Grief Experience by Barbara Karnes (this booklet is available free of charge from our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart by Alan D. Wolfelt
Tear Soup by Pat Schwieber & Chuck DeKlyen (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations For Working Through Grief by Martha Witmore
For Widows Only by Annie Estlund (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
A Grace Disguised by Jerry Sittser (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James and Russell Friedman (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
Widow to Widow by Genevieve Ginsberg
A Man You Know Is Grieving/When A Man Faces Grief by James E. Miller & Thomas R. Golden (this booklet is available free of charge from our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
Loss of a Parent
Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss by Hope Edelman
On Grieving the Death of a Father by H.I. Smith
Losing a Parent by Alexandra Kennedy
Teen Grief
Angel Catcher: A Journal of Loss and Remembrance by Kathy Eldon & Amy Eldon Turteltaub
You Are Not Alone: Teens Talk About Life After The Loss of a Parent by Lynn B. Hughes (good for the parent to read, too; to know what to expect. We may have a copy of this book to loan out at our Hand In Hand office)
Straight Talk about Death for Teenagers: How to Cope with Losing Someone You Love by Earl A. Grollman (we may have a copy of this book to loan out at our Hand In Hand Office)
Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas by Alan D. Wolfelt (we may have a copy of this book to loan out at our Hand In Hand Office)
The Grieving Teen : A Guide for Teenagers and Their Friends by Helen Fitzgerald
Fire In My Heart, Ice In My Veins: A Journal for Teenagers Experiencing a Loss by Enid Sammuel-Traisman
Children’s Grief
Love is For Always Book Two by Hospice and Homecare of Reno County
Angel Catcher for Kids: A Journal to Help You Remember the Person You Love Who Died by Amy Eldon
Samanatha Jane’s Missing Smile: A Story About Coping with the Loss of a Parent by Julie Kaplow & Donna Pincus (we may have a copy of this book to loan out at our Hand In Hand Office)
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (we may have a copy of this book to loan out at our Hand In Hand Office)
Helping Your Kids Deal with Anger, Fear, and Sadness by Norman Wright
What’s Heaven by Maria Shriver (we may have a copy of this book to loan out at our Hand In Hand Office)
When Someone You Love Dies (This is a small coloring and activity booklet for elementary aged children. Copies of this are available from the Hand In Hand office free of charge.)
Learning to Live Through Loss: Helping Children Understand Death (Copies of this booklet are available from the Hand In Hand office free of charge)
Individuals With Developmental Disabilities
Helping Adults with Mental Retardation Grieve a Death Loss by Charlene Luchterband & Nancy Murphy (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
Guidebook on Helping Persons with Mental Retardation Mourn by Jeffery Kauffman (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)
Helping People with Developmental Disabilities Mourn: Practical Rituals for Caregivers by Marc A Markell (we may have a copy to loan out at our Hand In Hand Hospice office)