Wilton’s Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County will offer two, 8-week bereavement support groups this fall to help people coping with loss–one for parents who have lost a child, and one for men.
Bereavement support groups are held at the Visiting Nurses offices in Suite 114 at the Health and Wellness Center at I-Park, at 761 Main Ave./Rte. 7 on the Norwalk/Wilton town line. Support groups are free-of-charge and open to the public but pre-registration is required.
Bereavement Support for Grieving Parents
The death of a child is the most dreadful experience a parent can face. Grieving parents may question whether life will ever hold meaning for them again and wonder how they will survive the anguish of their loss. They often blame themselves or they may be angry with their spouse, a physician, or God.
This 8-week bereavement support group helps parents cope with loss following the death of a child. It will meet weekly on Thursday afternoons, 2:30-4 p.m., beginning Sept. 28 and continuing through Nov. 16.
“Bereaved parents often experience more anger, depression, guilt and physical symptoms than those grieving other kinds of losses,” said Laurie Petrasanta, MS, BSW of Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County. “Parents frequently feel traumatized and isolated in their grief and it is essential for them to talk with other people who understand the devastating nature of their loss and can empathize. This support group will offer bereaved parents a safe place to talk about their child and their loss as well as their fears, anxieties and other feelings. Parents will learn from the shared experiences of others who have suffered a similar loss.”
For more information, or to pre-register for the bereavement support group for parents, call Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County at 203.834.6341, ext. 316.
Bereavement Support for Grieving Men
This 8-week bereavement support group helps men cope with grief following the death of a loved one. The group will meet in Wilton on Saturday afternoons, 12 noon-1:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 14 and continuing through Dec. 2.
“Grief is an inevitable part of life but for men it can be a profoundly isolating and lonely experience,” said Bonnie Verses, a grief and bereavement counselor with Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County. “Men’s grief is often invisible and misunderstood,” she continued. “Bereavement can be a time of fluctuating feelings that alternate between deep sadness and hope for the future. This emotional fluctuation can be something that men experience as frustrating. The bereavement support group will help men gain a deeper understanding of their unique experience of loss and begin the process of healing.”
For more information, or to pre-register for the bereavement support group for men, call Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County at 203.834.6341, ext. 255.
A non-profit community organization for more than 100 years, Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County provides professional nursing and support services, senior care management, physical rehabilitation, health education, community wellness programs and compassionate hospice and palliative care for children and adults in Wilton and throughout Fairfield County. The agency is a preferred provider of home health care and hospice services for the Western Connecticut Health Network. Visit them at online or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.