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Support for Donor Families and Organ Recipients

Posted on October 24, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

What does it mean to be a member of a donor family? Jamie Yetter, the family services coordinator with the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency (ARORA), works closely with families who potentially have a loved one who is a viable organ donor. She’s a chaplain and gets notified from hospitals when a potential donor becomes available, then serves as a liaison between the medical team and potential donor family. Even if a family chooses not to donate, Yetter stays by their side and helps in any way she can. Organ donation is just part of her role—the bulk of her […]

Adult Children and the Loss of Elderly Parents

Posted on October 22, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

Registered drama therapist and licensed counselor Deborah Antinori discusses the loss of elderly parents with Dr. Heidi Horsley. As adult children, losses can be minimized and disenfranchised. Loved ones don’t offer the same level of support or seem to worry as much about adult children compared to teens and young children—however, our parents are our parents no matter our age. Common responses are, “Well, the parent has lived a good, long life,” but that doesn’t make it any easier for the adult children. The last dance is one that can be traumatizing, even when the death is expected. You’re connected […]

Grief in the Body Politic: Mourning Lost Elections

Posted on October 20, 2016 - by Greg Adams

The way we deal with loss shapes our capacity to be present to life more than anything else. The way we protect ourselves from loss may be the way in which we distance ourselves from life. — Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom Remen says that the way we deal with loss, as much as anything, shapes how we deal with living. We protest our losses to help us learn what is truly lost and can’t be changed. And sometimes we don’t learn and get stuck living life in protest. Don’t give up what you don’t have to […]

Families For Safe Streets: Preventing the Death of a Child

Posted on October 20, 2016 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

The Families for Safe Streets was founded by a group of bereaved parents committed to increasing their children’s safety. Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley interview Amy Cohen—Sammy’s mother—who works closely with this organization. She’s a founding member, along with Dana Lerner (mother of Cooper) who’s a psychotherapist. Sammy was killed while crossing the street in front of his house. Lerner works in private practice, and was influential in passing Cooper’s Law after he was killed when a cab ran over him in Manhattan. She also serves on the board of Cab Riders United. The death of a child is always […]

Peter’s Place: Serving Grieving Children in Philadelphia

Posted on October 18, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley talks with Anthony Morelli of Peter’s Place. A licensed social worker, he works with bereaved children near Philadelphia. Peter’s Place serves children and families who have experienced a death—usually of a parent or sibling. When there’s a loss, it affects the entire community including the school. Children need a safe, consistent environment. After a death, routines are no longer maintained, and school can be a safe, consistent place for children. How to interact with a child is a big challenge. A lot of the time, it’s showing and mentioning that you care. Let children take the lead […]

Roberta’s House a Place for Community Healing

Posted on October 16, 2016 - by Heidi Horsley

The President of Roberta’s House, Annette March-Grier, speaks with Dr. Gloria Horsley about the organization’s mission and what it’s like being the only grief center in Baltimore. Founded in 2007, Roberta’s House is in the heart of an urban community that has a lot of violence, drug usage, and health concerns. All free services are available to children and families. The organization serves children as young as five years old. Kids need support after a loss, and also to be visible. They need someone to help give them a voice. The importance of expression can be easily overlooked. Today in […]

How Belief Systems Shape Our Grief

Posted on October 14, 2016 - by Elizabeth Horwin

This is the third of four articles based on concepts, research and experiences shared in, LOVE NEVER DIES by Elizabeth Horwin. WHAT DO WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND? The first article in this series focused on the concept of What is Life and the second focused on the concept of What is Death. I encouraged the reader to examine their beliefs and suggested some ideas to ponder about Life and Death. In this article I am focusing on belief systems. What I know for sure is our behavior is based on our beliefs. For example, if I believe that the way […]

Caregiver Remorse: 3 Ways to Find Peace

Posted on October 11, 2016 - by Tambre Leighn

I’ve not yet met a fellow caregiver who, at some point, hasn’t expressed at least one regret…maybe more. Caregiving can be extremely rewarding and challenging. The rewards are pretty clear. On the challenging side, there is care delivery. Caregivers end up on the front lines providing services that, in the past, have been in the hands of trained healthcare practitioners. Patients are moved home at a faster rate out of hospitals and treatment centers often leaving injections, wound care, medication oversight, and more in the hands of the family. Another challenge that weighs on caregivers are the medical care decisions especially, […]

Becoming a Grief Counselor

Posted on October 11, 2016 - by Gloria Horsley

Dr. Gloria Horsley connects with Dr. Janet McCord at an Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) conference. Dr. McCord is the director of Grief and Bereavement Studies at Marian University in Wisconsin. The two experts discuss what it means to be a grief counselor, including the unique challenges—as well as the benefits. Being a volunteer facilitator is no easy task. It requires love, listening skills, the ability to not make judgments of what children are saying, and the ability to validate what grievers are saying. Ultimately, the goal is to reflect back to them. A child should expect a […]

Grief, the Roller Coaster

Posted on October 10, 2016 - by Ceci Frost

The one thing you can predict when it comes to the journey of grief is that it will be unpredictable. The most random and smallest sound, smell, or sight can push you emotionally. It’s typically when you least expect it. This is when you realize that you have memories—some that you forgot about—that are attached to specific songs, activities, locations, or a silly candy bar. You could be fine, focusing on something, and then one of those things shows up and your mind goes back in time while you’re trying to stay present. It takes your breath away and freezes […]