A press release from Kaweah Health
Kaweah Health Hospice’s Bereavement Team will present “Grief and the Holidays,” on Sunday, Dec. 12, a free workshop to help those who are experiencing the holidays after a loved one has died.
This event will take place on Sunday, Dec. 12, at 3:30 p.m. at Sequoia Regional Cancer Center, 4945 W. Cypress Ave., Visalia. This event will require usual pandemic precautions – proof of COVID vaccines, or an up-to-date negative COVID test, and masks.
In-person attendees will meet others on similar journeys and explore how they can honor their loved ones and holiday traditions after the loss. For more information, call (559) 733-0642 or e-mail hospgrief@kaweahhealth.org. Anyone who is unable to attend can watch a videotaped session of the workshop at www.kaweahhealth.org/grief.
“No matter a person’s age or who has died, the holidays can be difficult and confusing for those who are facing their first holiday after a loved one has passed.” said Kent Mishler, Director of Chaplain and Volunteer Services at Kaweah Health. “You are beginning a new chapter and, like a book, the next chapter is built on the previous chapter. The workshop will help guide people on how to get through this chapter of life and how to begin looking at how the next chapter can be great.”
“A person in grief may have many questions or concerns, such as, ‘Is what I’m feeling normal? How long will this last? How can I survive this?’” Mishler said.
The workshop is designed to address these issues and more. The difficulties that COVID-19 has added to the grieving process will be discussed.
Kaweah Health Hospice, a division of Kaweah Health, is a not-for-profit hospice that has been providing end-of-life services for adults and children in Tulare and Kings counties for more than 35 years. The organization works to relieve pain and suffering at the end of life, as well as provide emotional support and spiritual counseling. Patients and their families are offered a variety of services via a team approach. The team consists of a physician of choice, a nurse, a hospice aide, a chaplain, a social worker and bereavement counseling. The team is designed to assist families in navigating through this final chapter of life.