Help with Grief
Click above to view or print Talking to Children About Death.
Grief is a perfectly normal and acceptable emotion following the loss of a treasured loved one. Support from family and friends is essential in resolving the difficult issues you will face in creating a life without that person. Openly accepting the love and support generously offered by friends and family will do much to hasten your healing as well as allowing your family and friends to feel they are making a real difference for you. You have suffered a tremendous loss and, as you begin your emotional journey through mourning and grief, our thoughts are with you.
Perhaps you are having experiences in which you are unsure of your feelings or what a particular day may bring. Holidays and birthdays may be the cause of additional stress and feelings of extreme sadness. Everyone who suffers a loss feels mixed emotions and has countless questions. As you well know, the death of a loved one is the beginning of many changes in your life. That may mean learning to balance the checkbook or how to fix small things in your home. Even deciding what to do with your loved one's personal belongings is a major task that must be dealt with. None of these things is easy to do. By living one day at a time and taking small, positive steps each day, you'll find you are beginning to cope again.
In the year following your loss, you will be receiving a series of four booklets from the Bauer Family Funeral Homes. They are part of our continued care and bereavement support program.
Another source of bereavement support that we provide and welcome you and your family to use is the Bauer Family Funeral Homes' Grief Lending Library of books and materials related to grief and loss. This collection of books, pamphlets, support group referrals, and audiovisual materials is housed at the Bauer Funeral Home in Kittanning and is accessible to the public during normal business hours.
Support Groups
We also have compiled a list of support groups and counselors that is available at the funeral home. One of the most highly recommended ongoing local support group meetings is called "Weathering Grief". Hosted by the VNA Hospice and facilitated by a certified grief specialist, "Weathering Grief" is held the third Tuesday of every month in the Adult Day Care Room at the Armstrong County Health Center from 7:00-8:30 pm. This meeting is free of charge. The VNA Hospice offers a variety of bereavement support groups and periodic courses and activities for grieving adults. For more information or to register to attend any of the ongoing groups, please call the VNA Hospice directly at 724-431-3520 or visit www.vna.com.
For Children
Located in Pittsburgh, The Caring Place is a program of the Highmark Caring Foundation dedicated to children, adolescents and their families who have lost a loved one. Families may participate in support groups on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The Caring Place groups are offered at no cost to the children or their families. For more information please contact the Caring Place directly at 1-866-212 HOPE (4673) or visit their website www.highmarkcaringplace.com.
The staff of Bauer Family Funeral Homes continues to be sensitive to your needs and experiences in the weeks and months following your loved one's funeral or memorial service. Please let us know of any way in which we can be of further assistance. If we can do anything to help you through this difficult journey, don't hesitate to call us
at 1-888-545-9595.
