Mercy Hospice: Bereavement Program

LaDonna R. McBride, LCSW, ACSW, Collin SENIOR Magazine

Mercy Hospice provides bereavement services to our current patients, their family members and the community at large. Mercy Hospice provides bereavement under the auspices of what patients and families are experiencing and/or may experience from the inception of hospice services, after death, and up to one year post death. In addition, support groups, memorial services, and bereavement counseling give families a renewed sense of hope.

Bereavement is defined as the ongoing process of grieving loss and this loss entails a wide range of what it can include: death of a loved one, loss of one’s identity, loss of expectations, and loss of finances, to name a few. The reality of loss can manifest itself emotionally, psychologically, intellectually, and spiritually. The goal at Mercy Hospice is to provide a continuum of care and hope in the final stages of life.

Hope is the first and final chapter in the book of grief and loss. Bereavement is the tool hospice uses to aid in the process of grief and mourning. As Cynthia Kelley (2008) poetically writes:

My grief is like a river – I have to let it flow,

but I myself might determine just where the

banks will go. Some days the current takes

me in waves of guilt and pain.

But, there are always quiet pools, where I can

rest again.

I crash on rocks of anger – my faith seems faith indeed.

But there are other swimmers who know what I need.

Are loving hands to hold me when the waters are too swift,

And someone kind to listen when I just seem to drift.

Grief’s river is a process of relinquishing the past.

By swimming in Hope’s channels I’ll reach the shore at least.

Mercy Hospice specializes in end-of-life care and may be reached at 972-459-9992 or 866-566-3729.