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Features for Senior Citizens
New Book from Hospice Foundation Dispels Myths about
Grief
'...the grieving aren't lovely. The grieving are a
pain in the neck.'
 Feb.
21, 2007 - "Grief is such a quiet word; it makes you think of women in
black shawls, silent and lovely. But the grieving aren't lovely. The
grieving are a pain in the neck." So writes Elizabeth Uppman in her
essay "A Chunk of Crystal" in Hospice Foundation of America's (HFA) new
book, Living With Grief: Before and After the Death.
"And when everyone in the house is grieving, nobody
can comfort anybody else. It's dreadful work."
Many myths exist about grieving people--that all
people go through similar "stages" of grief, or that grievers need to
"get over" their grief and move on. Yet as the story above makes clear,
grief is an intensely personal journey.
HFA's new book, edited by Kenneth J. Doka, PhD,
helps to shatter some of these myths by examining the most current
thinking on loss and grief. The book features articles, essays, and
resources that address the realities of this difficult but universal
experience.
 The
cover art, "Woven Memories", was selected from submissions from hospices
across the country. Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita, KS, held a
memorial service and invited families to bring an article of clothing
worn by a loved one, which were woven into a tapestry.
"Our goal was that the tapestry ... would
illustrate that people who die continue to be alive in us and become
part of us," recalls Nadine Reimer Penner, Director of Bereavement
Services at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. "Indeed, they are woven into
the very fabric of our lives."
Doka noted that the artwork was chosen because,
"the piece beautifully reflects the individuality of the grief process,
while focusing on the memories that allow grievers to continue a
connection with those who have died."
Living With Grief: Before and After the Death
was developed in conjunction with HFA's annual Living With Grief
teleconference, a live satellite broadcast that will be seen on March 22
in more than 2,000 communities. For more information, read the full
Table of Contents.
Source: Hospice Foundation of America -
http://www.hospicefoundation.org/
>> More about grief -
http://www.hospicefoundation.org/griefAndLoss/
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