“Words do not adequately express the appreciation and gratitude we have for each of you. Your genuine interest and tender care to our Mom will always be remembered. You were our angels. Thank you.”
Southern Tier Hospice
Patient Family Member
Mission Statement
The mission of Southern Tier Hospice and Palliative Care Grief Resource Program is to manage, serve, and promote the awareness of child grief; to educate school staff to identify and support the bereaved student; and to encourage and facilitate the involvement of as many schools as possible in grief support efforts.
What is the Grief Resource Program?
The Grief Resource Program is a partnership with the school system and each specific school. The Grief Resource Program consists of at least two staff members from each school who have voluntarily received training as grief resource specialists and who provide onsite support. The grief resource specialists may include counselors, librarians, school nurses, teachers, support staff and so on. The school employees are the ones that will do the work, hospice staff/volunteers provide planning, training, and organization.
What training is provided?
Training manuals will be provided to each participating school and will include a manual to educate on the normal developmental grief reactions of children and also a manual on activities or projects to do in the classroom or grief group. A user-friendly parent brochure will be offered to provide a brief overview of grief and how to support a child experiencing grief. In addition to these resources, each school will also have a bereavement registry which includes a collection of community resources specifically relating to grief.
What is important to know?
Loss is a universal process that includes more then the act of death. A child is often overlooked because many times we generalize the thought that what we may need from others is also what the child needs. It is not uncommon for others to question what to say to a child who has just experienced a loss for a fear that “we might bring something up” and therefore we say nothing at all. This behavior makes the child feel alienated and alone and unworthy of support. It is also not uncommon for some grief reactions to appear in normal behaviors of a child at any developmental level and therefore the manuals allow for basic ways to assist in identifying grief and how to support the child who is experiencing grief.
What is the goal of the Grief Resource Program?
The goal of the program is to enhance student achievement through a caring and supportive community in which the child feels safe to talk about his/her grief and individuals feel prepared to support the child and offer tools for the child to use in the future. The program seeks to use natural support systems from within the school to including faculty and staff the student already knows and trusts. This fosters a supportive opportunity for the student to work through the normal grief process that impacts all of us.
Timeline of program
At this time, we are identifying schools interested and working to identify key contacts. We will be obtaining all information needed and collaborating with schools to start this program in the upcoming School Year 2009-2010 when manuals will be completed.
