Pemi-Baker Hospice offering a free 6-week series 'Loss & Grief: Some Basics'

PLYMOUTH — Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health is offering a free grief and loss support series starting Tuesday, Feb. 15 running through March 29. Late morning and early evening times will accommodate all schedules and we invite anyone experiencing a personal loss to join us.

Since Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ pioneering work on death and dying in 1969, research and study on the very human experiences of grief and loss have come a very long way. The “five stages of grief” entered quickly into the storehouse of wisdom in the popular culture. Many people can tick off “Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance” when asked about the process of grieving. As helpful as these categories can be in opening up discussion, the truth is that “stage theory” has fallen on hard times in psychological studies.

Put simply, life experience is much too dynamic and deeply personal to fall into neat and progressive stages that follow one upon the other in predictable fashion. Kubler-Ross herself did not see her theory as being that way. It took our characteristically American linear way of thinking to do that. Generally speaking, we like things neat, but life is messy. Over the course of almost four decades, other theorists have included additional features in grieving, such as “shock,” “guilt,” “retreating,” “reflection,” “isolation,” and “working through.” There is a lot to consider if we are in the thick of trying to come to terms with a significant loss that has come into our life.

In a practical effort to begin to explore the intricate web of responses and reactions that human beings experience following upon significant life-losses, the hospice program of Pemi-Baker Hospice & Home Health will be offering a series on “Loss and Grief: Some Basics” as part of its Bereavement services. The series consists of six sessions. Each session will include a brief educational presentation, a reflective exercise to assist participants in focusing on their experience of loss, and a time for sharing, questions, and discussion. Sessions will include such topics as: “My Concept of Loss,” “Evaluating My Loss,” “Coping Skills,” “Manifestations of Grief,” “What Helps and What Hurts,” “Acceptance,” “My New Reality,” and “Recognizing My Strengths.”

The six week series will be offered on Tuesdays at two different times: a late morning group 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. or an evening group 5:30-7 p.m. In-person participation is limited to five people for each group; there will be hand sanitizer, socially-distanced seating and masks are required. Pre-register with Guy Tillson, Bereavement Coordinator by email: gtillson@pbhha.org or by phone 603-536-2232. Pre-registration required by Tuesday, Feb. 8. Ask about possible accommodations virtually via ZOOM.

Pemi-Baker is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Suite 3, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org Like our Facebook Page: @PBCH4.