By Coralease Ruff —
To bring hope to others dealing with significant losses, I will coordinate bereavement in my local community. I live in an active adult community (55 and over) where people come from various cities around the country. Many of us have left behind family and friends for a completely new life style. Some of us bring with us significant losses that we are in the process of dealing with and others bring unresolved losses from the past. For example, as a bereaved mother I have found a few neighbors who are also bereaved parents that have not worked through the death of their children and don’t want to even think about it.
My plan is to first identify the loss/grief and bereavement needs that are present here. Then I will identify resources and activities that are currently available (if any) for meeting those needs. Finally I will propose activities and resources for meeting the identified needs. This might involve developing a calendar of activities/events and making the information available to our residents. It could also possibly involve starting a support network for widows and widowers.
I have no idea where this journey will take me. One thing that I have discovered, is that in helping others deal with their loss and grief, I also grow and heal personally.
Dr. Coralease Ruff is a Bereavement Facilitator, A Registered Nurse, a University Professor and an International Nursing Consultant. She and her husband became bereaved parents in 1997, following the death of their 21-year old daughter in an automobile accident in the Dominican Republic. Since then she has been involved in the Compassionate Friends Inc. She combined a biography of her daughter with a grief handbook entitled, Her Light Still Shines, which is published by iUniverse and will be available in bookstores soon.
Tags: grief, hope
