Hospice program helps children deal with grief
MIDDLESEX TWP — Saying phrases such as, “Grandpa has gone to heaven” or “Mommy will be with us always,” after their deaths won’t do grieving children any favors.
That’s the opinion of people behind the youth bereavement service of Good Samaritan Hospice of Concordia Lutheran Ministries.
The service will have it’s next educational and mentoring session for children who have lost a loved one and the children’s parents or guardians June 25 at Concordia’s Middlesex Township location, 116 Brown’s Hill Road.
“First and most important, be honest and tell them their person has died. They are no longer breathing, but they are no longer hurting,” said Roni Lucas, executive director of Good Samaritan Hospice.
“Then, you can bring in your own beliefs. Boys process grief differently from girls, there are different things to say,” she said.
But knowing what to say is where the youth bereavement service comes in.
“It’s a service of Good Samaritan Hospice,” said Lucas. “It’s a program that we have added into our bereavement program in order to meet the needs of our young children who are mourning the loss of a loved one.”
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